The Time Kelly Ripa & Mark Consuelos Fans Made A Miracle Happen For Anderson Cooper's Son
Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos give fans more than just a glimpse into their lives during their segments on "LIVE! With Kelly and Mark." We've learned embarrassing stories like how their daughter Lola accidentally walked in on them in the bedroom and intimate yet comical details about Ripa's plans for her death. But while the couple certainly is great for a laugh, they once used their combined star power and on-air time to make a miracle happen for Anderson Cooper's son.
In July 2023, Ripa scored Cooper as a fill-in for her on the morning show, accompanying Consuelos at the anchor desk. While in the studio, the father of two filled in both the audience and his co-host on a rather sad event that had gripped the Cooper household for the past two weeks. He explained, "Brown Bear has been with him [his son Wyatt] since the beginning ... I smartly cut off the tag," he noted, "So I don't know the manufacturer of Brown Bear." Then, referring to it as an "emergency," Cooper confessed that the bear of unknown origin had since gone missing.
Cooper's toddler Wyatt Maisani-Cooper, along with the rest of the family, was so desperate for the bear's return that the "Anderson Cooper 360°" host shared a photo on "LIVE!" (and Instagram), asking for help locating the bear or tracking down a similar teddy. Soon, his social media feed was flooded with lookalikes from helpful fans tuning into the show.
He found brown bear and then some
As "LIVE! With Kelly and Mark" drew to a close, Mark Consuelos and temporary co-host Anderson Cooper began wading through the images of similar brown bears sent in by fans. Though they didn't find a match, Cooper later posted an Instagram story that read, "Thanks to 'Live with Kelly and Mark' viewers and staff, I think Brown Bear or his brother has been located!" via Business Insider. The photo he shared looked like an almost new brown bear, which, though it was the same toy, was not identical to his son Wyatt Maisani-Cooper's. The OG brown bear, which Cooper surmised was missing in either New York or Connecticut, was extremely well-loved. The CNN host admitted, "He had his ears chewed off by Wyatt, he's been hugged so much that his fur's all matted."
After reportedly spending days searching for brown bear's manufacturer and a replacement, Cooper could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel, noting that if he got a new one, he was entirely willing to "chew on the ears and mat it up." Fortunately, that didn't have to happen.
In September 2023, Cooper updated fans by again appearing on "LIVE!" recalling the aftermath of his last plea, "Your viewers, within an hour, found three of them on Etsy." He ordered all three of them, only to have the actual brown bear show up in his car months after it had gone missing.
He blames his co-parent
Anderson Cooper was beside himself when his toddler Wyatt Maisani-Cooper's brown bear turned up in his car on yet another trip to Connecticut. He revealed that he had gone so far as searching the trails near their residence on an ATV in pursuit of the toy. However, his former partner and co-parent, Benjamin Maisani, had been in charge of looking in the family car. Cooper joked, "Of course I was happy I found it. But I can use this against him for the rest of his life. Every time there's an argument, I'll be like, 'Well, what about the bear ..." confessing that Maisani was adamant he thoroughly searched the car.
The admission about holding brown bear over Maisani's head illustrates how close the fathers are still. Cooper and the businessman officially began their relationship in 2015 but separated in March 2018. Despite the end of their partnership, the duo share two children, Wyatt Morgan, born in 2020, and another son, Sebastian Luke, welcomed in 2022. Cooper announced his decision to co-parent in 2020, stating on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," "He's [Maisani] my family and I want him to be Wyatt's family, as well," before Maisani officially adopted Wyatt in 2022.
In their efforts to be great dads and a united front, the two revealed that they still reside in the same house but are not getting back together. Nevertheless, the living arrangements should give Cooper plenty of opportunity to bring up the brown bear debacle if necessary.