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Anderson Cooper has kept much of his personal life private over the years, but his relationship with businessman Benjamin Maisani has remained an important part of his story. The pair dated from 2009 to 2018 before ending their romantic relationship, though they have continued to stay close while co-parenting Cooper’s two sons, Wyatt and Sebastian.
In recent years, Cooper has frequently spoken about fatherhood and his strong bond with Maisani, whom he once described as his “best friend.” The longtime CNN anchor even revealed that spending more time with his children played a major role in his decision to leave CBS’ 60 Minutes in 2026 after nearly two decades on the program.
So where do Anderson and Benjamin stand today, and who else has Cooper been linked to over the years? Find out more about the journalist’s dating history and family life below.
Benjamin and Anderson’s Romance Lasted 9 Years
Benjamin, a Hunter College grad, and Anderson Cooper’s romance began in 2009, though the circumstances of how they meant aren’t confirmed. The couple did not go public with their relationship until 2015, three years after Anderson came out as gay. Anderson and Benjamin made several public appearances together while they were dating and also enjoyed some vacations as a couple, including trips to Venice, Italy and Tahiti in 2017.
In March 2018, Anderson announced he split from Benjamin.
“Benjamin and I separated as boyfriends some time ago, we are still family to each other, and love each other very much,” he told Entertainment Tonight.
However, the NYC bar owner and the journalist have continued their journey and have been on great terms. In fact, Benjamin has been a co-parent to Anderson’s 1-year-old son Wyatt Cooper ever since the little one was born in April 2020. The two even still live together in the Big Apple raising baby Wyatt. “There is no acrimony between us,” Anderson told PEOPLE last year of his relationship with Benjamin. “Even though it’s maybe unconventional because he’s my ex, he is my family.” The political commentator added, “While we were a couple, he wasn’t sure he wanted kids, which was one of the issues we’d always had. But when I decided, ‘I’m just going to do this,’ he started to be interested.”
Would They Ever Get Back Together?
So would the exes ever get back together? That seems to be a definitive no. Ellen DeGeneres asked Anderson just that while she was interviewing him on her talk show in February 2021. “No, that’s not gonna happen!” Anderson confidently responded. However, Anderson did once again applaud his ex in the interview, saying that Benjamin “is such a great parent.”
Who Is Anderson Cooper Dating Now?
It’s unclear whether Anderson is currently dating someone else, though he has been linked to TV personality Andy Cohen. It’s a charge both parties, however, have denied. “What is it about Anderson Cooper that keeps you from falling in love with him?” Howard Stern asked during an episode of his show in January of 2022. “I just think it’s not what our relationship is based on,” the Watch What Happens Live host replied.
“We’re just friends; that’s not a part of it. I think, at this point, we know each other too well. We’re not attracted to each other in that way.” While he admitted that Anderson is “a handsome guy,” he added that, “we’re not in that place.”
The BFFs explained in a joint interview how the rumors may have started. Though they admitted they’d been set up for a blind date back in the 90s, it never happened. “I knew within 45 seconds, I was never going on a date with Andy Cohen,” Anderson hilariously told Jimmy Fallon during a 2017 appearance on The Tonight Show of their first meeting.
“I imagined him in like a Bluetooth headset, gesticulating,” he added. “He was all excited, and he violated my cardinal rule, which is he asked me about my mom within the first minute of talking to me.” Andy exclaimed, “I wanted to date the Vanderbilt boy! I was excited.”
Per Distractify, Anderson has also been linked romantically to a Dallas radiologist named Victor Lopez. They reportedly started dating early in 2018, but had parted ways by the end of that same year.
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