Anderson Cooper asked ex Benjamin Maisani to co-parent Wyatt because he wanted son to have both parents
Anderson Cooper has revealed he asked his ex, Benjamin Maisani, to help raise his newborn son because he thinks "it's good to have two parents".
The 52-year-old CNN reporter's son Wyatt was born through a surrogate towards the end of April. Cooper dated nightclub owner Benjamin, 47, for a decade before going their separate ways in 2018. However, the former couple will be co-parenting Wyatt, announced Cooper.
During an interview on The Howard Stern Show, on May 12, he explained, "I don't really have a family, and so my friends become my family,"
"This is somebody that I was involved with for 10 years, he's a great guy." he further added about his ex-partner Benjamin.
Cooper was 10 years old when his father Wyatt Cooper passed away during open-heart surgery. His death highly impacted the reporter as in a segment on his show in 2016, he had stated: "Loss changes you. Particularly when you lose a parent at a young age. The world suddenly seems a much different place. More dangerous. The person I was before my father's death, the person I was meant to be was far more open, more interesting than the person I've become. I wish it wasn't so. But the self-reliance I learned has also served me well."
Cut to his interview on Howard Stern's show, he spoke about how that experience helped him realize that he wanted his newborn to have more than one parent. "I wish some adult after my dad died, had stepped in and just been like I'll take you to a ballgame, let's go out to lunch, let's just talk. But no one ever did that. If something happens to me or even if something doesn't happen to me, the more people love my son and are in his life, I'm all for that," he stated.
"My ex is a great guy and I think it's good to have two parents if you can," he said about Benjamin. He also revealed that he will be addressed as "dad" while Benjamin will be called "papa" by Wyatt.
"My ex is French, so he's gonna speak in French to the kid," Cooper explained. Last week, Anderson revealed that Benjamin was in the delivery room with him when the surrogate carrying Wyatt gave birth.
Cooper told Stern that they "didn't work out as a couple', Us Weekly recently reported that the pair are trying to rekindle their romance. "They very quietly got back together and are planning ahead. Ben is selling one of his clubs and cutting back on how much he does at night so he can spend more time at home with Anderson and the baby," a source told the magazine.
Anderson announced he had become a first-time father in a lengthy and heartfelt Instagram post penned on April 30.
Alongside a photograph of him feeding a bottle to his newborn son, he wrote, "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."
He also said a heartfelt thank you to all the surrogates around the world, "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 can't 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," added Cooper about the surrogate who birthed Wyatt.
He concluded with remembering his late family, hopeful that they're watching over them from wherever they are: "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."