Anderson Cooper Explains Why He is Co-Parenting His Son Wyatt With Ex

Anderson Cooper explains why he is co-parenting his son, Wyatt, with his ex Benjamin Maisani.

On Tuesday, Cooper joined "The Howard Stern Show" and told Howard Stern that his close friends had become his family, which includes his ex Maisani, whom he dated for a decade. The 66-year-old host asked Cooper if he does not want a clean break with his ex because they had a close relationship before, so he is asking why the 52-year-old dad wants to have his ex involved with caring for his newborn.

Cooper answered Stern is saying that since he does not have a family, his friends become his family. He also added that Maisani was a great guy after having a ten-year relationship with him. He believes that it would be better if Wyatt would have more positive roles in his life even though he and Maisani did not work out as a couple.

Anderson Cooper Wants Wyatt to Have Two Parents

Adding to that, he said that when he was a little kid, all he had was his mom and brother, and his mom was not the most parental person. When his dad died, he had wished that someone had stepped in to become his father figure.

He would have been glad if someone had offered him to go out to lunch now and then or maybe talk things through. He said that since no one did those things to him, he thinks that if something happens to him, he does not want his son to experience the same as him, so if there were more people to love Wyatt, it would be better.

Adding to that, he complimented his ex, saying that he is a great guy, and he believes that it is good if you can have two parents.

Cooper be Called Dad, Maisani be Called Papa

Anderson Cooper said that he plans to teach Wyatt to call him either "Dad' or "Daddy" and let him call Maisani "Papa" since he would be speaking with the little one in French. He even joked, saying that his ex could be turning his son from him when he speaks French to the boy.

During an appearance on "The Late Show," Cooper revealed that he and Maisani would be co-parenting Wyatt. When Wyatt was born, both Cooper and Maisani were in the delivery room, which was an emotional experience because it happened less than one year after Cooper's mom, Gloria Vanderbilt, died.

Cooper told Stephen Colbert that he had experienced seeing his mom took her last breath and the birth of his son all in one year. He shared that being with Wyatt's surrogate mother and her husband, he and his ex Maisani all in the delivery room while waiting for the birth of a new life, was an extraordinary experience.

Anderson Cooper said that even though he and Benjamin Maisani are not together anymore, he wants him to co-parent Wyatt because he is a family, so he wants Maisani to be Wyatt's family too.