False Rumors People Believe About Anderson Cooper

Anderson Cooper is one of CNN's most recognizable faces, and if you don't know him from the news, you may recognize the lovable TV personality from years of hosting the network's New Year's Eve Live programming, or perhaps even from his famous background as a member of the Vanderbilt family. Cooper's journalistic accomplishments, marked by multiple Emmy awards, include reporting from conflict-ridden countries such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Somalia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Additionally, he has covered several natural disasters, including tsunamis, hurricanes, and earthquakes.

However, what you don't know about Cooper is that he's been the victim of conspiracy theories on more than one occasion. The false rumors range from misinterpretations, such as accusations of exaggerating the aftermath of a hurricane and supporting the withdrawal of Social Security benefits for the unvaccinated against COVID-19, to more concerning claims suggesting Cooper used an injured boy as a human shield and received substantial payouts from pharmaceutical companies to promote specific vaccines on live television. The award-winning journalist has addressed most of the fake allegations made against him.

One of the most disturbing rumors about Anderson Cooper is that he used an injured boy to protect himself. In 2010, while reporting on political unrest in Haiti, Cooper and the CNN crew found themselves caught in a riot. Amid the chaos, bricks were hurled, resulting in a youngster being struck in the head. Per the raw footage posted to YouTube, Cooper dragged the boy to safety and even tried consoling him. Despite his courageous actions, the image of Cooper holding the kid and running was misinterpreted as the anchor using him as a human shield.

The false narrative originated in 2010 on fake news sites like Dead Serious News and has repeatedly resurfaced on social media over the years. In 2013, a Reddit thread discussed the human shield scenario as satire, with some users claiming it was real. Then, in a 2014 interview with the Television Academy, the journalist candidly shared his experience, recalling, "Everybody just disappeared, and I thought they were going to throw another brick at this kid."

Cooper detailed how he then quickly grabbed the boy, tucked him under his arm, and ran with him. However, as rumors live forever on the internet, the TV personality briefly addressed the conspiracy theory again in 2018 on "Anderson Cooper 360°," stating simply, "I really don't even know what to say to that ridiculous idea."

Among all the false rumors people believe about Anderson Cooper, his dating Andy Cohen might be the most harmless one. Over the years, the close bond between the two TV hosts has fueled rumors of a romantic connection, but both Cohen and Cooper have consistently, and very publicly, refuted this myth. During their joint appearance on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," in 2017, Cooper shared the amusing story of how they initially met.

Mutual friends attempted to set them up on a blind date so the two got on the phone to discuss the details. However, things took an unexpected turn. "I knew within 45 seconds [that] I was never going on a date with Andy Cohen," Cooper admitted. "He violated my cardinal rule, which is [that] he asked me about my mom within the first minute of talking to me." For context, Cooper's mother was the famous heiress, fashion designer, and artist, Gloria Vanderbilt.

Cohen humorously responded, "I wanted to date the Vanderbilt boy! I was excited." The phone call turned the CNN anchor off so much that the two never went out. However, they remained the best of friends. "It turned out for the best," Cohen confirmed. When speaking to USA Today in 2019, the Bravo star described Cooper as "an incredibly loyal, caring, sensitive, and [a] great friend."

A widely believed yet demonstrably false rumor about Anderson Cooper emerged in 2018 and was fueled by none other than Donald Trump Jr. In the aftermath of Hurricane Florence, which affected Maryland and the Carolinas, he took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to criticize Cooper for allegedly exaggerating the disaster's aftermath in an attempt to criticize then-President Donald Trump. "It's a shame that CNN's ratings are down 41%. What's worse is [that] there's a simple solution that they refuse to accept. Stop lying to try to make @realDonaldTrump look bad," he wrote, accompanied by a photo of Cooper reporting from knee-deep water while his camera crew stood in shallower water just feet away.

Cooper took it upon himself to debunk the rumor live on "Anderson Cooper 360°," stating, "I've covered hurricanes for about 14 years, and it really does make me sad to think that anyone would believe that I would try to fake something or overly dramatize a disaster." He also noted that the photo Trump Jr. had shared was taken in 2008, in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike, and not after Hurricane Florence.

Regarding the knee-deep water, Cooper clarified that the shot was taken to emphasize receding water levels and that the crew chose their filming spot to avoid obstructing a main road that was being used for rescue missions. The anchor also called out Trump Jr. for spreading lies and urged him to use his influence for more constructive purposes going forward.

In 2021, social media went into a frenzy after a claim suggesting that Anderson Cooper wanted to withhold social security benefits from individuals opting not to receive the COVID-19 vaccine gained traction. However, the CNN anchor never said that. Following the widespread availability of the COVID-19 vaccine, Bill Gates was featured on "Anderson Cooper 360°," where they delved into various strategies for convincing anti-vaxxers to receive the jab.

During their discussion, Cooper asked Gates, "Do you think the federal government or state governments, or [at] the very least the federal government should mandate, if you want to get on an airplane, you have to be vaccinated; if you want to get Social Security, you need to be vaccinated; if you want to get whatever benefits they give, you need to be vaccinated for?" The segment was widely misinterpreted on social media, with numerous users alleging that Cooper advocated withholding Social Security payments from those who were unvaccinated.

One user on X, railed, "What a miserable m0nster," while another penned, "Screw that, and I say that as someone coming from the left. Those are earned benefits that people paid into; keep your hands totally off." As the narrative gained momentum, a representative from CNN clarified to Reuters that "Anderson was posing a question to Bill Gates, [and] in no way implying that he supports this position."

A year later, another false rumor related to COVID-19 circulated that similarly targeted Anderson Cooper. It alleged that Pfizer had paid the CNN anchor a whopping $12 million to endorse their COVID-19 vaccines on air. The false narrative quickly gathered steam on social media, with users expressing their disdain for Cooper and accusing him of unethical conduct. The misinformation, however, originated from presidential candidate RFK Jr., a rumored conspiracy theorist.

During an appearance on "Ask Dr. Drew," RFK Jr. discussed the pharmaceutical industry's influence in American media, claiming that around 75% of advertising revenue on major networks comes from pharmaceutical companies. In an attempt to emphasize his point, he claimed, "Anderson Cooper has a $12 million annual salary, and about $10 million of that is coming from Pfizer." The outspoken commentator then posed the question of whether he was truly working in favor of the American public or for Big Pharma. 

RFK Jr.'s representatives later clarified his remarks, stating, "To use 'Pfizer' as a stand-in for 'Big Pharma' was a rhetorical flourish and not technically accurate," (via AP News). They also claimed that RFK Jr. merely intended to highlight the substantial ad revenue, predominantly from pharmaceutical companies, contributing to media networks' profits. Neither CNN nor Cooper commented on the remarks.