Television personality Anderson Cooper is a triple threat! He’s handsome, smart and wealthy. The CNN star has amassed a massive net worth after decades on television. Keep scrolling to see how much money he makes. 

What Is Anderson Cooper’s Net Worth?

Anderson has an estimated net worth of $50 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. Born on June 3, 1967, Anderson decided to pursue journalism after he got his Bachelor’s degree from Yale University. While there, the son of Wyatt Cooper and Gloria Vanderbilt studied Political Science and International Relations. Upon graduation, he moved to Vietnam to study the native language at the University of Hanoi. He then became a fact-checker for the educational network Channel One.

Anderson Cooper
Shutterstock

Anderson’s career didn’t pick up until 1995 when he became a correspondent for ABC News. He eventually moved his way up to World News Now, but even with a promotion, Anderson didn’t feel happy with what he was doing. “I was miserable at ABC,” the Emmy winner shared during an interview with the Television Academy Foundation in 2015. “I was young. I didn’t do a good job of fitting in at the company. I didn’t do a good job of figuring out how it all worked. I just sort of sat in my office and did my own thing.”

Although he learned great skills, like how to quickly turn around a news package, Anderson didn’t feel fulfilled in his profession until he left ABC and joined CNN in 2001. “I realized I don’t want to be 60 years old and holding to some TV anchor about where I’m being sent on any given day,” the silver-haired fox said. “I don’t want to wake up every day not knowing where I’m going to be or not knowing where I’m going to be sent. Or will suddenly have to [put] on a plane somewhere and tell a minute-and-a-half story. I would like to have more control over what I’m doing.”

What Is Anderson Cooper’s Annual Salary?

Anderson found that control when he anchored alongside Paula Zahn on American Morning from 2001 to 2002. After doing a good job there, he became CNN’s weekend primetime anchor and then started hosting his own show Anderson Cooper 360 in 2003. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Anderson’s longtime gig has earned him an annual salary of nearly $12 million.

Anderson Cooper
Shutterstock

In addition to hosting on TV, Anderson is an author. He’s released four books, Biographical Dictionary of Famous Tar Heels in 1988, Dispatches from the Edge in 2006, The Rainbow Comes and Goes in 2016 and The Vanderbilts: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty in 2021. He is also a dad to two sons via surrogate, Wyatt and Sebastian. He coparents his little ones with ex-boyfriend Benjamin Maisani.

Considering Anderson has a big bank account to his name, as well as a superstar celebrity status, it’s no surprise he was chosen to host Jeopardy! following Alex Trebek‘s death. The beloved game show enlisted Anderson to guest host on the new season, which first started airing in early 2021.