Anderson Cooper welcomes second child

Anderson Cooper is now a father of two.

The longtime CNN anchor, 54, announced the arrival of Sebastian Luke Maisani-Cooper on his Anderson Cooper 360 programme on Thursday.

"I wanted to start out with some good news, which also happens to be very personal news," Cooper said, adding that the birth of his son, Wyatt, had been announced during the "early dark days of the pandemic" in April 2020.

"These are the pictures I showed of Wyatt then, taken just days after he was born," he continued. "This is Wyatt today. He is nearly 22 months old."

Unveiling Wyatt's sibling, he added, "He is sweet, funny, and the greatest joy of my life. If he looks particularly happy in this picture, it's because he now has a baby brother. His name is Sebastian, and I would like you to meet him."

The news anchor explained that both Sebastian and Wyatt are being raised by him and his "best friend and former partner" Benjamin Maisani.

"Wyatt calls me 'daddy' and Benjamin 'papa'. We're a family. Benjamin is also in the process of adopting Wyatt, whose last name will be changed to Maisani-Cooper as well," he shared.

He went on to thank the medical team involved with Sebastian's birth and his surrogate, and announced he would be taking two weeks off to spend time with his family.

Cooper confirmed his split from longtime boyfriend Maisani in March 2018, revealing they had parted ways "some time ago".