Anderson Cooper announces birth of second child with his best friend
CNN anchor Anderson Cooper announced on Thursday night that he and his best friend and former longtime partner Benjamin Maisani have welcomed their second child.
"In April 2020, in the early dark days of the pandemic, you may recall I announced the birth of my son, Wyatt," Cooper said on Anderson Cooper 360. Cooper said Wyatt is "sweet and funny and the greatest joy in my life," as a recent photo of Wyatt appears on the broadcast.
"If he looks particularly happy in this picture it's because he now has a baby brother," Cooper said.
The baby, named Sebastian Luke Maisani-Cooper, was born weighing 6.8 pounds, and Cooper said he is "healthy and happy — even his occasional hiccups are to me, adorable."
"He mostly just sleeps and eats and he certainly poops, but he already seems like a wise and thoughtful little chap," Cooper said.
Like his older brother, Sebastian was carried via surrogate.
"The sacrifices she and her family, her entire family, made and the love they gave Sebastian this past year has been extraordinary," Cooper said. "We will never forget the kindness and all of her and her family and all surrogates who help bring new life and new love into the world."
Cooper and Maisani have been co-parenting since they broke up in 2018 after publicly dating for about three years, though they were believed to have been dating much longer. USA Today has reported that they were linked as far back as 2009.
"We're a family," Cooper said, adding that Maisani is also in the process of formally adopting their first child, who calls Maisani "papa." Once the adoption is finalized, Cooper said, Wyatt's last name will be changed to Maisani-Cooper like his brother's.
When Wyatt was born, Cooper said he liked to imagine that his mom, dad and brother, all of whom have died, were standing there with "their arms around each other, smiling and joyful at his birth."
"Well these past 22 months, I've felt them watching over us very strongly, and I already feel their love for Sebastian," Cooper said. "The family I was born into may be gone, but I feel them alive in the family that we have created. New love and new life."