CNN anchor Anderson Cooper is a man with many laurels to rest on. As one of the most beloved broadcast journalists of all time, the son of heiress Gloria Vanderbilt has done more than most do in a lifetime. His long list of accomplishments include becoming an LGBTQ+ icon after coming out in 2015, earning multiple journalism awards (including a Peabody and eight Emmys), and doing it while being a dad and a silver fox to boot. Now, Cooper is facing yet another celebratory accolade: a stint guest-hosting the beloved game show Jeopardy! — a show he previously won twice in their “celebrity” edition, per Yahoo! News.
Cooper, a self-professed Jeopardy! fan, is set to start his hosting run on April 19, 2021, and will finish on April 30, which was revealed in an April promo on social media. “In high school I became a Jeopardy! fan, I’m a two-time Celebrity Jeopardy! champ and this week, I’ll be the newest Jeopardy! guest host,” Cooper dished in the clip, before adding that he’s “actually kind of nervous” for the gig. While we’re sure he’ll more than pull it off, the hype surrounding his upcoming stint has many Googling Cooper’s name for a cursory refresher on his life nowadays, including whether or not he’s single or taken. And while it’s true that he and his ex-partner Benjamin Maisani ended their years-long relationship in 2020, there’s still more to the story than meets the eye.
Anderson Cooper's ex Benjamin Maisani is a big part of the CNN anchor's life
As The Sun and other outlets reported in March 2020, CNN anchor Anderson Cooper and his longtime significant other Benjamin Maisani reportedly split after nine years of their on-again, off-again relationship. Maisani, French-born a businessman and club owner with a net worth of $8 million, according to The Sun, has by all accounts remained a part of Cooper’s close circle, with Cooper confirming it himself — and for good reason.
For the uninitiated with regards to the backstory of Cooper and Maisani’s timeline together, the couple ran in the same social circles due to the popularity of Maisani’s bar, Eastern Bloc, and reportedly met in 2009, per The Sun. They began dating that same year. While the couple called it quits in 2018, they reunited a year later before breaking up for good in 2020.
Even though Cooper and Maisani parted ways, they’re integral to each other’s lives. After Cooper announced the birth of his son, Wyatt, in April 2020, the journalist later stated Maisani would be his unequivocal co-parent, calling him “a great guy.”
Cooper even told Ellen DeGeneres in February 2021 that he and Maisani “actually still live in the same house because we get along really well.” As for a romantic reconciliation? “It’s not going to happen,” he told DeGeneres.
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