Why Anderson Cooper is co-parenting with his ex
Anderson Cooper will be co-parenting his son with his ex.
The CNN journalist, 52, told Howard Stern Tuesday that he and his former partner of 10 years, Benjamin Maisani, will raise two-week-old Wyatt Morgan together.
Cooper will be known as "dad" or "daddy," he said, while Maisani, 47, who is French, will be called "papa."
The star said the decision was partially informed by his childhood, as no adult figure "stepped in" to help his mother, late fashion designer Gloria Vanderbilt, raise him after his father died.
"If more people love my son and are in his life, I'm all for that," Cooper said. "My ex is a great guy, and I think it's good to have two parents, if you can."
On April 30, Cooper announced that he'd become a father three days prior, with the help of a surrogate. He told fans that he named his son Wyatt Morgan after his parents: Wyatt after his dad, who died when Cooper was 10 years old, and Morgan after his mom, since it was a name she loved.
Cooper added that before his mother's death last year, he had the opportunity to discuss his fatherhood plans with her.
"I was able to tell her shortly before she died that I was going to have a baby," he said during an appearance on "Live with Kelly and Ryan." "Wyatt hadn't been created at that point -- he wasn't actually a being at that point -- but he was an idea in my head, and I was in the process of it, and she was thrilled."
