Two weeks ago, Anderson Cooper finished his broadcast on CNN with some much-needed positive news: He just welcomed a son into the world, Wyatt Morgan Cooper.
In his announcement, he acknowledged that he'd previously thought parenthood would be impossible for him and thanked those who helped him bring his son into the world:
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.
Since making his announcement, it's also been revealed that Anderson's ex-boyfriend, Benjamin Maisani, will help raise Wyatt.
So in an interview with Howard Stern today, Anderson opened up about why he made the unusual decision to become a co-parent with his ex — and his reasoning is actually super sweet.
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It all started when Howard asked Anderson why he doesn't want a "clean break" from someone he dated for so long.
"I don't really have a family, so my friends become my family," Anderson explained. "And this is somebody that I was involved with for 10 years. He's a great guy."
"We didn't work out as a couple... but when I was a little kid, it was just my mom and my brother. But it was my mom and she was not the most parental person."
Anderson said that, growing up, he often wished there was another parental figure in his life to look after him:
I wish some adult, after my dad died, had stepped in, and just been like, you know what? I'll take you to a ball game, or let's go out to lunch every now and then, and let's just talk. No one ever did that.
"So I thought, if something happens to me or even if something doesn't happen to me, if more people love my son and are in his life, I'm all for that," he said. "My ex is a great guy and it's good to have two parents, if you can."
Howard then asked if Wyatt will call both parents "dad," and it turns out Anderson and Benjamin have an adorable plan for that.
"My ex is French, his name is Benjamin, so he's gonna speak in French to the kid. And he's gonna be, I think, 'papa.' And I think I'll be 'dad' or 'daddy.'"
Very jealous of this baby, his two loving dads, and his future French proficiency, to be honest. Congrats, Anderson and Benjamin!
You can watch the full clip with Howard Stern below: