Anderson Cooper Says He Told His Mom Gloria Vanderbilt He Was Having a Baby Shortly Before She Died
While Anderson Cooper's son will never meet his grandmother, Gloria Vanderbilt, his dad made sure she knew about him.
The CNN newsman was overjoyed to announce last week that he is now dad to Wyatt Morgan Cooper, via surrogate. On Monday's Live With Kelly and Ryan, Cooper revealed that he was able to tell his mom that he was planning to be a father before her death in June 2019.
"I was able to tell her shortly before she died that I was going to have a baby," he shared with hosts Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest via video chat. "Wyatt hadn't even been created at that point, he wasn't a being at that point, but he was an idea in my head and I was in the process and she was thrilled."
Though he's only been a dad for about a week, Cooper says it's already changed him. "It's astonishing. ...I just stare at him and hours will go by and I realize I've just been sitting there holding him. ...He's like a little, tiny frog and he's so cute and I can't help but stare at him," he mused. "Babies sleep a lot but suddenly he'll open his eyes and look at you and I don't even know if he can see me at this stage but it seems like it. He's understanding sounds and it's just wild. It's way better than Netflix."
Fatherhood has also gotten Cooper hooked on coffee. "I've got my iced-coffee here. I've become addicted. I've never had coffee before," he admitted. "Now I can't believe I've lasted this long. I'm up a lot during the night and I understand why people drink coffee now."
The 52-year-old journalist also shared the meaning behind his son's name. "Wyatt was my dad's name and my dad died when I was 10 and I've always liked the name," he shared. "I wanted to have something for my dad. I always thought if I had a boy, I would name [him] Wyatt. Morgan is my mom's grandmother's name and my mom's mom's maiden name. So I wanted something for my mom. So yeah, Wyatt Morgan."
Cooper added, "I also have been going through my mom's stuff because she passed away in June and I found a list that she and my dad had handwritten out of possible names for me before I was born. One of the names was Morgan, so I knew they liked it. So, I went with it."
Back in 2016, ET spoke with Vanderbilt about the possibility of her son one day having a child. "I just hope I'm still alive," she said at the time.
"Thanks for bringing this up. This is an ongoing issue," Cooper replied with a laugh. "Doesn't every mother want their kid to have [a kid]? Yes. I've heard this many times, believe me.The clock is ticking."
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