What is Anderson Cooper's net worth? Exploring his CNN salary and inheritance

What is Anderson Cooper's net worth? Exploring his CNN salary and inheritance

Anderson Cooper's net worth, estimated in millions, reflects his decades-long career in journalism and television. He is a news broadcaster best known for his self-titled program on CNN, Anderson Cooper 360.

Anderson Cooper's net worth is from his decades long career in media
Cooper has worked in nearly eighty countries and covered major global news events. Photo: @Anderson Cooper 360 on Facebook (modified by author)
Source: Facebook

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Key takeaways

  • Anderson is a news broadcaster at CNN with a career spanning over two decades.
  • Cooper is the highest-paid news anchor amongst his colleagues at CNN, with a salary of $20 million.
  • Anderson is part of the famed Vanderbilt family.

Anderson Cooper's profile summary

Full name Anderson Hays Cooper
GenderMale
Date of birthJune 3, 1967
Age 57 years old (as of March 2025)
Place of birth Manhattan, New York City, USA
Current residence New York City, USA
Nationality American
EthnicityWhite
Height 5 feet 10 inches
Weight 68 kg (approx)
Father Wyatt Emory Cooper
MotherGloria Vanderbilt
SiblingsCarter Vanderbilt Cooper, Leopold, and Christopher Stokowski
Relationship status Single
Ex-partner Benjamin Maisani
ChildrenWyatt Morgan Cooper, Sebastian Luke Maisani-Cooper
Education Dalton School, New York City, and Yale University
ProfessionNews anchor, TV personality, and author
Social mediaInstagramFacebookX (Twitter)

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What is Anderson Cooper's net worth?

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Anderson Cooper's net worth is $60 million. His wealth stems from his impressive career as a news anchor and his inheritance from his late mother, Gloria Vanderbilt.

In a 2021 episode of The Morning Meeting, Anderson said he will not leave a fortune for his son. He stated,

I don't believe in passing on huge amounts of money. I'm not that interested in money, but I don't intend to have some sort of pot of gold for my son. I'll go with what my parents said…'College will be paid for, and then you got to get on it.
Anderson Cooper at Joel Grey's 92nd birthday bash
Anderson Cooper at Joel Grey's 92nd birthday bash at "Cabaret" on Broadway at The Kit Kat Club at The August Wilson Theatre on April 11, 2024, in New York City. Photo by Bruce Glikas
Source: Original

Anderson Cooper's house

Anderson owns multiple properties, reflecting his diverse interests and lifestyle. Here are some of his notable homes:

  • In 2014, Cooper and his then-partner Benjamin Maisani purchased a multi-million dollar Connecticut mansion. According to Daily Mail, they bought the property for between $5 million and $9 million.
  • In January 2010, Cooper bought a firehouse-turned-home in Manhattan for $4.3 million. The property is located at 84 West Third Street.
  • Anderson also owns a tropical house in Trancoso, Brazil. This home provides a serene getaway from his demanding career in journalism.

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How did Anderson Cooper accumulate his fortune?

Anderson Cooper accumulated his fortune primarily through his successful career in journalism. Here are some key sources of Anderson Cooper's salary:

Journalism career

After graduating from Yale University, Cooper moved to Vietnam to study the Vietnamese language at the University of Hanoi. During this time, he produced original fact-based news about the unrest in Myanmar.

In 1995, he became an ABC correspondent before moving to co-anchoring World News Now. In 2001, he moved to CNN, where he co-anchored American Morning alongside Paula Zahn. His self-titled show Anderson Cooper 360 began airing on the channel two years later.

Anderson Cooper during a conversation with Andy Cohen
Anderson Cooper during a conversation with Andy Cohen: Astor: The Rise and Fall of an American Fortune at The 92nd Street, New York on September 20, 2023, in New York City. Photo by Gary Gershoff
Source: Getty Images

Television Shows and hosting

Besides news anchoring, Cooper earns his income through television shows and hosting. He has hosted various top shows, including Anderson Live and The Mole, and has appeared in numerous specials, such as CNN's New Year's Eve Live.

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Anderson also participated in a national tour with Andy Cohen, co-hosting a conversational stage show called AC2. Cooper has co-starred alongside his mother on HBO's documentary Nothing Left Unsaid: Gloria Vanderbilt and Anderson Cooper.

Writing

Anderson authored his memoir Dispatches from the Edge: A Memoir of War, Disasters, and Survival in 2006, which topped the New York Best Seller List in June 2006. He has co-authored several best-selling books, including The Rainbow Comes and Goes with his mother and Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty with Katherine Howe.

Anderson Cooper at The Kering Foundation's Caring for Women dinner
Anderson Cooper at The Kering Foundation's Caring for Women dinner at The Pool on Park Avenue on September 15, 2022, in New York City. Photo by Dia Dipasupil
Source: Getty Images

What was Gloria Vanderbilt's net worth when she died?

When she passed on in 2019, Gloria had an estimated fortune of $10 million. She inherited $5 million (roughly over $70 million today adjusted to inflation) from her father, Reginald Vanderbilt, in 1925.

Gloria also earned huge income from her fashion career, including $10 million royalty from her jeans in 1980. Despite the impressive trust fund and career earnings, Vanderbilt spent most of her money and lost some to embezzlement.

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How much did Anderson Cooper inherit from Gloria Vanderbilt?

According to Town & Country Magazine, Anderson Cooper inherited around $1.5 million from his mother when she passed away in 2019. This is a relatively small amount compared to her mother's impressive fortune.

However, during a 2014 interview, Cooper expressed that he did not expect much of a fortune from his mother. He said,

My mom's made clear to me that there's no trust fund. There's none of that, [and] I don't believe in inheriting money. I don't know what the amount is going to be but it's not some huge estate.

How much does Anderson Cooper make a year?

According to Good Housekeeping, Anderson Cooper's CNN salary is approximately $20 million annually. This impressive payout makes him the highest-paid news anchor on CNN.

Anderson Cooper at the Ed Sullivan Theater
Anderson Cooper at "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" at the Ed Sullivan Theater on June 16, 2021, in New York City. Photo by James Devaney
Source: Getty Images

Trivia

  • Cooper was a child model for popular brands like Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, and Macy's.
  • Anderson Cooper's ex-husband is Benjamin Maisani.
  • During college, Cooper interned at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) for two summers.
  • Cooper has won 18 Emmy Awards, two Peabody Awards, and an Edward R. Murrow Award.
  • Anderson has a self-titled podcast, All There Is with Anderson Cooper, which has aired for three seasons.
  • Anderson Cooper's children are Wyatt and Sebastian.

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Anderson Cooper's net worth is impressive. The media personality has amassed a fortune from her illustrious career. Through hard work and determination, he has built his career from being a humble fact checker on Channel One News to becoming a media giant all over America.

READ ALSO: Facts about Christopher Stokowski

Briefly.co.za published an article about Christopher Stokowski, an American musician. He is popularly known as the son of the late American model, actress, and artist Gloria Vanderbilt.

Although he is not popular like his youngest maternal half-brother, Anderson Cooper, Christopher has forged a career in the music industry. Explore facts about the celebrity sibling.

Source: Briefly News

Authors:
Bennett Yates avatar

Bennett Yates (Lifestyle writer) Bennett Yates is a content creator with over five years of working experience in journalism and copywriting. He graduated from the University of Nairobi (2017) with a Bachelor's in Information Technology. In 2023, Bennett finished the AFP course on Digital Investigation Techniques. He started working for Briefly in 2019. You can reach him via email at bennetyates@gmail.com.