TV's first out news anchor Anderson Cooper explains why he's making it official: "It’s become clear to me that by remaining silent on certain aspects of my personal life for so long, I have given some the mistaken impression that I am trying to hide something - something that makes me uncomfortable, ashamed or even afraid. This is distressing because it is simply not true." [Andrew Sullivan] (Update: Don Lemon came out last year! And Rachel Maddow beats them both by years.)

  • lesmanalim

    Depending on what you mean by “first,” “out,” and “news anchor,” Don Lemon, Rachel Maddow, and likely several others might have a beef with that.

  • ROSSINDETROIT

    I thought everyone knew Anderson was gay, and didn’t care.  I knew, and I don’t even watch TV or pay attention to the celebrities on it.

    • StreetEight

       “coming out of the closet” – Bravely revealing about oneself what everyone else had already surmised.

  • http://twitter.com/mbubb mbubb

    So was John Wayne, you guys,  I installed two
    way mirrors in his pad in Brentwood.
    And he’d come to the door in a dress.

    • eselqueso

      THE HELL HE WAS!

      • WillieNelsonMandela

        HaHa! I was enjoying a plate of shrimp as I read that and nearly choked from laughing.

    • Mark Lee McDonald

      Cross dressing ≠ Gay, necessarily.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Sara-Rose/100003405981858 Sara Rose

    In the great tradition of the Most Trusted Name in News, CNN will soon issue a correction.

    • EH

      Exactly. Anderson only read the first page so far.

    • http://twitter.com/moopy713 Red Garner

       i read that as erection and lol’d

  • SomeGuyNamedMark

    Come on Fox  News, you’re next.

  • http://www.zhrodague.net/ Drew from Zhrodague

    Good for Anderson Cooper, coming out.  I think his hair gave it away.
    He looks bad-ass on TV cruising through the jungle on a boat.

    • Antinous / Moderator

      I think his hair gave it away.

      Is not dying your hair a gay thing now? I just assumed that it was a salute to Ted Baxter.

      • http://www.zhrodague.net/ Drew from Zhrodague

         I dunno, it looked kinda dykish to me – really ultra short, and well manicured. I couldn’t make my hair look like that if I tried – I’d end up looking like McGuyver.

        • SomeGuyNamedMark

           Only Ted Danson could get his hair that perfectly coiffed.

  • http://twitter.com/trempls tré

    On behalf of anyone with anything resembling gaydar: finally.

    • SomeGuyNamedMark

      With straight guys like Larry King and Rush Limbaugh in the media it is no wonder Anderson set off your gaydar.  It must’ve been the perfect hair.

    • http://benjscott.com thunderhammer

      On behalf of everyone without gaydar: whoa!! what?!! 

  • Tribune

    Hmm the ad server seems to now be serving me up gay singles in my area, also aging me by a decade for the default age choice.  

  • spacemunky

    I hear Tom Cruise is single now.

    • cfuse

      We’re all waiting for the Co$ to swoop in with a new beard any minute tho’.

  • Leah Crenshaw-Pepke

    I think when you’re the son of Gloria Vanderbilt, you sort of have an obligation just to BE gay! All kidding aside, I love this man and now I’m super proud of him, too!

  • Mitchell Glaser

    When he bought an old fire station to live in (because he wanted to slide down the pole? sorry, I just had to) they showed him on TV touring it with his boyfriend, so this is hardy a surprise. The letter he wrote, which this is all about, made his reasons for waiting to declare himself pretty clear and made a lot of sense. Still, just like he said, in a perfect world this would not be news.

  • giantasterisk

    Huh?!? I was absolutely certain he came out in the last year or two, but I don’t remember what I saw or read that made me think that. Anyone care to refresh my memory? It wasn’t the “I bought a fire house” story.

  • That_Anonymous_Coward

    It isn’t really big news to anyone paying attention however it is important.

    When you were a kid, you looked up to the stars and important people.
    If your a kid who felt different than other little kids and were looking for a role model you had a lovely bunch to choose from.
    Bewitched character Uncle Arthur – Paul Lynde.
    Wayland Flower & Madame.
    Liberace.
    The list looks like this for a while.
    Add in the other ways “your people” are reported on… in thongs in parades being outrageous.  Being called sinners by openminded bible thumpers.  Etc.

    It is nice for the first time in a long time we have “out” people to look up to who aren’t overwrought caricatures of the stereotypes.  I have encountered some people who are hyper over the top “queens” in public but the volume gets turned down sometimes and they think that is the way “we” are supposed to act if we are being true to ourselves.
    It is nice to see people from all across the spectrum of life being out and proud and maybe offering hope that just because you like the same sex doesn’t mean you have to act a certain way.  That being who you are is who you are supposed to be, not some convenient easy to spot stereotype.

    • Antinous / Moderator

      You missed Charles Nelson Reilly and Little Richard.

      • That_Anonymous_Coward

        And you know 4 of the 5 names will result in lots of Google Searches wondering who those people are.

        • Antinous / Moderator

          Which reminds me — Alan Sues! He could gay Paul Lynde under the table.

  • http://noctilucent-studios.blogspot.com/ Noctilucent Studios

    In the very near future, there won’t be any more “gay” people, “straight” people……there will just be people.
    Looking forward to it.

    LOVE you ALL.

  • Andrew Eisenberg

    Wait…I thought this was common knowledge. 

    Well, good for him for finally telling everyone (who didn’t already know).  It’s just unfortunate that this is even still an issue in 2012.

  • madopal

    [TheDude]Obviously, you’re not a golfer.[/TheDude]

  • Snig

    Here’s a gedanken:  If you were born a women, odds are would you be into kissin’, having s#x with a guy.   Half the population of the planet or so manage to get by with the kissing the guy thing.  I see you’re point in that women to me as well seem a lot sexier, but odds are, if we rolled the dice and started life again, and ended up women, we wouldn’t ALL be lesbians, aesthetically pleasing as that sounds.

  • Wreckrob8

    What I’ll never understand is why guys start with women in the first place. Problem solved. It would make life soooooo much easier for me.

  • joeposts

    I know, it’s like totally gay.

  • Ipo

     Six what with guy? 

    Or do you mean fucking?