NEW YORK – CNN's Anderson Cooper is the proud father of a newborn baby boy.
The news, announced at the end of Thursday’s televised weekly coronavirus town hall and in a lengthy Instagram post, came as a big surprise to CNN viewers, as Cooper, 52, had not spoken publicly about his plans to have a baby.
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Cooper, who is gay, said in his on-air announcement that “I never thought it would be possible to have a child, and I am so grateful for all those who have paved the way, and for the doctors and nurses and everyone involved in my son’s birth.”
“Most of all,” he said, “I am eternally grateful to a remarkable surrogate who carried Wyatt, watched over him lovingly, tenderly, and gave birth to him.”
Wyatt Morgan Cooper was born on Monday weighing 7 pounds 2 ounces.
The anchor said he felt it was important, amid stories about those who are suffering and dying during the coronavirus pandemic, to “hold on to moments of joy.”
That's how he introduced his own joyful news: "On Monday, I became a father," he said. "I've never actually said that before, out loud, and it still kind of astonishes me. I am a dad. I have a son. And I want you to meet him."
Cooper’s father, who died when he was 10 years old, was named Wyatt. Now Cooper is passing the name to a new generation. “I hope I can be as good a dad as he was,” he said during the announcement.
His son's middle name, Morgan, is a name from the family tree of his mother Gloria Vanderbilt. She died last year.
"I do wish my mom and dad and my brother, Carter were alive to meet Wyatt," Cooper said, "but I like to believe they can see him. I imagine them all together, arms around each other, smiling and laughing and watching, looking down on us. Happy to know that their love is alive in me and in Wyatt... and that our family continues. New life and new love."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.