Anderson Cooper Net Worth

What is Anderson Cooper's Net Worth and Salary?

Anderson Cooper is an American television personality, journalist, and author who has a net worth of $60 million. Anderson Cooper earned a political science degree from Yale in 1989 and began his journalism career as a fact-checker at Channel One News. He soon made a name for himself by freelancing from global hotspots like Myanmar, Rwanda, Somalia, and Bosnia, often reporting from conflict zones with little support or protection.

In 1995, Cooper joined ABC News as a correspondent and eventually co-anchored "World News Now." He briefly stepped outside hard news to host the reality series "The Mole" in 2000, before returning to ABC in various reporting roles for programs like "World News Tonight" and "20/20."

He moved to CNN in 2001 as co-anchor of "American Morning" before launching "Anderson Cooper 360°" in 2003, which became CNN's flagship evening news program. His empathetic, boots-on-the-ground coverage during events like Hurricane Katrina, the Iraq War, and the 2004 tsunami helped establish him as one of the most trusted voices in American journalism.

In 2007, he also became a correspondent for "60 Minutes," expanding his platform with long-form investigative journalism. He later hosted the syndicated daytime talk show "Anderson" (renamed "Anderson Live") from 2011 to 2013 and has co-hosted CNN's annual "New Year's Eve Live" celebration since 2002.

Cooper is a best-selling author with titles including "Dispatches from the Edge," "The Rainbow Comes and Goes," "Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty," and "Astor: The Rise and Fall of an American Fortune." He also co-starred in the HBO documentary "Nothing Left Unsaid" alongside his mother, Gloria Vanderbilt.

Salary

As the host of the CNN news show "Anderson Cooper 360," he earns an annual salary of $18 million.

Joe Corrigan/Getty Images

Family Wealth

We previously listed a significantly higher estimate for Anderson's net worth based on a presumption about his mother's wealth that turned out to be false. In his 2021 book, "Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty," Anderson claimed that there was no meaningful Vanderbilt family fortune left at the end of his mother's life. She was the last direct descendant to carry Cornelius Vanderbilt's last name. Cornelius was one of the wealthiest Americans in the world, thanks to a shipping, railroad, and real estate empire. When Cornelius died in 1877, he had an inflation-adjusted net worth of $185 billion, which is enough to make him one of the wealthiest people of all time. His son William Henry doubled the family fortune. Unfortunately, Vanderbilts, from that point on, primarily spent their money in increasingly profligate ways to the point where, in the early 1970s, at a family reunion of 120 Vanderbilt descendants, not one was a millionaire.

Early Life and Career Beginnings

Anderson Hays Cooper was born on June 3, 1967, in Manhattan, New York City. His father, Wyatt Emory Cooper, was a writer. His mother, Gloria Vanderbilt, was an artist, fashion designer, and heiress. Gloria was the great-great-great-granddaughter of shipping and railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt.

Anderson's maternal grandfather died when his mother was just one year old. He was the last male heir of the Vanderbilt fortune and left his entire estate, $5 million, in 1925 to his daughter. That's the same as around $70 million after adjusting for inflation. Gloria's mother and aunt fought over her custody and allegedly over control of the trust fund. Her aunt, the founder of the Whitney Museum, ultimately won custody. As an adult, Gloria would go on to have enormous success as an artist and fashion designer.

Prior to becoming a news anchor, Cooper was a model for Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, and Macy's from the ages of 10 to 13. He went to Yale University, where he studied Political Science and International Relations. During college, Cooper spent two summers as an intern at the CIA. Tragedy struck when his father died suddenly in 1978. Ten years later, his older brother committed suicide. This event spurred his interest in journalism. After Anderson graduated from Yale University, he lived in Vietnam for a year, studying the Vietnamese language at the University of Hanoi. He then worked as a fact checker for the news agency Channel One and periodically sold homemade news segments to the channel. Cooper filmed reports of Vietnamese life and culture and eventually moved on to filming stories in various war-torn regions, including Bosnia, Somalia, and Rwanda, that aired on Channel One.

Journalism Career

Cooper became a correspondent for ABC News in 1995 and then co-anchor on ABC's "World News Now" program on September 21, 1999. In 2000, Cooper decided he needed a change from the hectic news schedule and became the host of "The Mole" for two seasons before returning to broadcasting. In 2001, he joined CNN, anchoring alongside Paula Zahn on "American Morning." In 2002, he became CNN's weekend prime-time anchor. His own show, "Anderson Cooper 360," began in 2003. Cooper signed a multi-year deal with CNN in early 2007 that would allow him to continue as a contributor to the CBS News program "60 Minutes" while still working as a CNN anchor and correspondent. The deal also reportedly doubled his salary from $2 million annually to $4 million.

As a journalist, Cooper has won numerous awards for his coverage of various events and issues. These include an Emmy Award in 1997 for his coverage of Princess Diana's funeral; a Peabody Award in 2005 for his coverage of Hurricane Katrina; a National Headliner Award in 2005 for his coverage of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami; two Emmys in 2011 for his coverage of Haiti; and also the GLAAD Media Award in 2013.

(Photo by Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images)

Writing and Other Pursuits

Cooper has authored a variety of articles as a freelance writer, including in publications such as Details magazine. His memoir "Dispatches from the Edge" was published in May 2006 by HarperCollins and topped The New York Times Best Seller list in June that year. In 2017, Cooper also co-authored "The Rainbow Comes and Goes: A Mother and Son on Life, Love, and Loss" with his mother, Gloria Vanderbilt. In 2021, he co-authored "Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty" with Katherine Howe.

After interviewing Andy Cohen about his then-latest book, "The Andy Cohen Diaries," in 2015, the two came up with the idea for a two-man conversational stage show, "AC2." The duo opened their national tour in Boston, followed by Miami Beach, Chicago, and Atlanta. They went on to tour over 50 cities.

In September 2010, Warner Bros. and Telepictures signed Cooper on to host a nationally syndicated talk show, "Anderson Live." Cooper negotiated and signed a new multi-year contract with CNN in order to be able to continue to host "Ander Cooper 360" on CNN. "Anderson Live" premiered on September 12, 2011, but only ran for two seasons after it failed to achieve high ratings. Cooper has previous experience hosting talk shows; he previously filled in as co-host of "Live with Regis and Kelly" in 2007 when Regis Philbin had to undergo triple-bypass heart surgery, and has since periodically served as a guest co-host on the show when one of the hosts is unavailable.

Getty

Personal Life

Cooper is openly gay and was actually the first openly gay person to moderate a presidential debate in the general election when he moderated the second presidential election debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump in 2016. Apple CEO Tim Cook also turned to Cooper for advice before deciding to publicly come out as gay.

Anderson Cooper has two sons, Wyatt Morgan Cooper and Sebastian Luke Maisani-Cooper. Although Cooper and Benjamin Maisani are no longer romantically involved, Maisani is in the process of adopting Wyatt as they continue to co-parent the children.

Cooper's mother died in June 2019. A few weeks after her death, it was revealed that she had left the majority of her estate to her son.

Real Estate

In Greenwich Village, New York City, Cooper owns a striking four-story residence housed in a former 1906 firehouse. He purchased the property in January 2010 for $4.3 million. The 8,240-square-foot structure retains many original details from its FDNY days, including exposed brick, overhead wooden beams, spiral staircases, and even the original brass fire pole. Cooper renovated the firehouse extensively, stripping away layers of dark red paint to reveal the building's original stone, brick, and terra cotta façade. Inside, he designed a vintage-style gym inspired by early 20th-century firehouse training facilities, complete with turn-of-the-century weights and ceiling climbing ropes. In 2015, the home served as the backdrop for an H&M ad campaign starring David Beckham and Kevin Hart, which revealed glimpses of Cooper's custom gym, stylish living areas, and rooftop garden.

Cooper also owns a lush coastal retreat in Trancoso, Brazil, a bohemian beach town in Bahia. After falling in love with the region during a 2013 visit, he purchased a prime lot on the village's iconic Quadrado and commissioned Wilbert Das—the former creative director of Diesel and co-owner of Uxua Casa Hotel—to design a custom compound. The resulting estate consists of four separate buildings, decorated in a palette of blue, green, and white, surrounded by palm trees, orchids, and tropical fruit trees including banana, acai, and cacao. The property features a 65-foot teal-tiled swimming pool, an outdoor bar, sunbeds, and even a shower built into a hollowed tree trunk. Though the purchase price is undisclosed, the home has been available to rent for $1,530 per night, including breakfast.

In Litchfield, Connecticut, Cooper purchased the historic Rye House estate in 2014 for a reported $5–9 million. The 10,127-square-foot mansion, built in 1908 by House & Garden magazine founder Wilson Eyre, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The main house includes six bedrooms, six full bathrooms, and three half-baths, along with original chestnut paneling, limestone fireplaces, and a hand-carved marble staircase. The estate sits on 280 acres and boasts Japanese gardens, a grape arbor, tennis court, and Olympic-sized swimming pool.

Previously, Cooper owned two cottages in Quogue, a quiet village in the Hamptons. He purchased the first in 2003 for $1.15 million and the second in 2012 for $1.7 million. Both homes were renovated with the help of his mother, designer and heiress Gloria Vanderbilt. The properties featured water views, heated pools, chef's kitchens, and detached guest quarters. Cooper sold both in 2015, netting $2.97 million and $2.59 million, respectively.

Who's Richer?

Anderson
Cooper

Compare!

Gloria
Vanderbilt