Anderson Cooper became a father when he was close to 60 and had already broken up with his long-term boyfriend, Benjamin Maisani. However, the two exes got back together, just not in a romantic way.

Anderson Cooper and Benjamin Maisani were so private about their relationship that it took years before it was revealed that they were dating. The pair started seeing each other in 2009.

In March 2018, Daily Mail announced that the couple was living together at Anderson’s firehouse home. The Manhattan, Greenwich Village home he bought for $4 million was later renovated.

Anderson and Benjamin only came out about their relationship in May 2015. At the time, the CNN news anchor shared an Instagram image of him and Benjamin and wrote:

“I guess when you’re with someone a long time, you start to pose alike.”

After that, Anderson started opening up more about his relationship. So much so that in August 2016, he and his boyfriend appeared together for an issue of Architectural Digest.

At the time, the couple was showing off the remote home they co-owned in a section of Brazil. In 2014, Benjamin spoke to French Morning about all the attention his relationship with Anderson was getting.

He also addressed why they’d spent so much time trying to keep it private. The businessman said he understood why people were so interested in their relationship but didn’t feel the same.

Benjamin explained that he hadn’t thought about or wanted to be a celebrity like most people. He shared that he knew from the beginning that exposing the relationship was risking the attention on it getting out of hand.

In March 2018, after a decade of dating, Anderson’s spokesperson confirmed that the journalist and Benjamin had separated. According to reports, the CNN anchor explained the split by saying:

“Benjamin and I separated as boyfriends some time ago. We are still family to each other, and love each other very much.”

Anderson explained that he and his ex-boyfriend remained best friends and would continue sharing their lives. During an interview with Ellen DeGeneres, the television personality revealed one of the reasons that caused them to break up.

He shared how Benjamin wasn’t sure he wanted to have children. However, Anderson didn’t wait to have another partner before working on his dream of becoming a father and fulfilling it at age 53.

In 2020, when reaching the end of his segment on CNN, Anderson revealed that his first child and son, Wyatt Morgan, had been born. He also opened up about why the milestone was especially significant for him, stating:

“As a gay kid, I never thought it would be possible to have a child.”

The star shared his gratitude for the people who paved the way for him to realize his dream. He also shared his appreciation of the nurses and doctors who took part in helping welcome his son.

The television personality also uploaded four Instagram images of his baby boy, with the first image showing him lovingly bottle-feeding Wyatt. In the post’s caption, he revealed that the boy was only then-three days old.

He explained how the child’s first name was the same as his own father, who passed on when he was just ten. The second name was a family one from his mother, Gloria Vanderbilt’s side, and also one his parents liked.

At the time, Anderson said he’d found a list his parents had made 52 years before when deciding what to name him. Little Wyatt was born weighing 7.2 lbs and was described as “sweet, and soft, and healthy.”