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Anderson Cooper announces birth of second child

The CNN anchor and his parenting partner, Benjamin Maisani, have welcomed a son named Sebastian Luke.
Image: Anderson Cooper
Anderson Cooper on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," on March 14, 2020.Eric McCandless / ABC via Getty Images file
/ Source: TODAY

CNN anchor Anderson Cooper announced live on air Thursday that he and his parenting partner have welcomed their second child, a boy.

Sebastian Luke Maisani-Cooper weighed 6.8 pounds at birth and was born via surrogate. Cooper and Benjamin Maisani also have an almost 22-month-old son, Wyatt.

“He is healthy and happy, and even his occasional hiccups are to me adorable,” Cooper told viewers. “He mostly just sleeps and eats, and he certainly poops, but he already seems like a wise and thoughtful little chap.”

Sebastian, like Wyatt, will be raised by both Cooper and Maisani.

We are co-parents. Wyatt calls me Daddy, and Benjamin is Papa,” Cooper has said.

Maisani is in the process of adopting Wyatt and noted that Wyatt’s last name will be changed to Maisani-Cooper.

Wyatt helped us put together Sebastian’s crib and calls his little brother by his middle name, Luke,” Cooper said. “Sebastian is a mouthful for a 22-month-old.”

Cooper thanked their surrogate for helping bring Sebastian into the world. 

“The sacrifices she and her family — her entire family — made and the love that they gave Sebastian this past year has been extraordinary,” Cooper said. “We’ll never forget the kindness.”

Cooper also paid tribute to his late parents, Gloria Vanderbilt and Wyatt Cooper, and his brother Carter, who died in 1988. 

“These past 22 months, I’ve felt them watching over us very strongly, and I already feel their love for Sebastian,” Cooper said. “The family I was born into may be gone — but I feel them alive in the family we have created. New love, new life.”

He closed the segment by wishing viewers “love and laughter, good thoughts and happy days.”

Cooper said he will be taking off next week to be with his family.