Anderson Cooper Opens Up About Fatherhood As A Gay Man: ‘This Is A Dream Come True’

Anderson Cooper is loving fatherhood.

The 53-year-old CNN anchor opened up in an exclusive interview for People magazine‘s first Pride issue about becoming a father after welcoming baby Wyatt Morgan via surrogate on April 27 with his co-parent and former partner Benjamin Maisani.

Anderson revealed that he was afraid he’d never get to experience fatherhood. “When I was 12 years old and knew I was gay and thought about my life, it always upset me because I thought, ‘I will never be able to have a kid,’ he said. “This is a dream come true.”

WATCH MORE: Anderson Cooper Is A Dad: See His First Photos With Newborn Son Wyatt

Cooper announced Wyatt’s arrival on “Anderson Cooper 360°” three days after his birth, and followed up with an Instagram post for his fans. “On Monday, I became a father,” he began his post alongside adorable pics of his son. “This is Wyatt Cooper. He is three days old. He is named after my father, who died when I was ten. I hope I can be as good a dad as he was. My son’s middle name is Morgan. It’s a family name on my mom’s side. I know my mom and dad liked the name morgan because I recently found a list they made 52 years ago when they were trying to think of names for me. Wyatt Morgan Cooper. My son. He was 7.2 lbs at birth, and he is sweet, and soft, and healthy and I am beyond happy.”

View this post on Instagram

I want to share with you some joyful news. On Monday, I became a father. This is Wyatt Cooper. He is three days old. He is named after my father, who died when I was ten. I hope I can be as good a dad as he was. My son's middle name is Morgan. It's a family name on my mom's side. I know my mom and dad liked the name morgan because I recently found a list they made 52 years ago when they were trying to think of names for me. Wyatt Morgan Cooper. My son. He was 7.2 lbs at birth, and he is sweet, and soft, and healthy and I am beyond happy. As a gay kid, I never thought it would be possible to have a child, and I’m 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, I am grateful to a remarkable surrogate who carried Wyatt, and watched over him lovingly, and tenderly, and gave birth to him. It is an extraordinary blessing – what she, and all surrogates give to families who cant have children. My surrogate has a beautiful family of her own, a wonderfully supportive husband, and kids, and I am incredibly thankful for all the support they have given Wyatt and me. My family is blessed to have this family in our lives I do wish my mom and dad and my brother, Carter, were alive to meet Wyatt, but I like to believe they can see him. I imagine them all together, arms around each other, smiling and laughing, happy to know that their love is alive in me and in Wyatt, and that our family continues.

A post shared by andersoncooper (@andersoncooper) on Apr 30, 2020 at 6:51pm PDT

The proud dad gushed about his son and how parenting has opened his heart in new ways. “It feels like my life has actually begun,” Anderson told People. “And I sort of wonder, what was I waiting for? This is a new level of love. It’s unlike anything I’ve experienced, and yet it’s also very familiar and incredibly special and intimate. It’s really extraordinary.”

Anderson has been covering the Black Lives Matter protests following the tragic death of George Floyd, and admits being a father has given him a whole new outlook on the news and feels “invested in the future in a way I hadn’t really before.”

“There’s something about having a child that makes you feel connected to what is happening and you want to make sure that the world this child is growing up in is a better one,” he told the publication. “You suddenly worry much more about the future of all of us.”