Anderson Cooper has revealed that he won't be leaving his $200 million fortune to his son. The CNN anchor revealed this week that he would deny his son an inheritance, offering instead to pay for his college and encouraging him to create his own success.
The news anchor appeared on the Morning Meeting Podcast this Saturday and revealed his plans for his massive wealth after he passes, saying he doesn't plan to leave his 17-month-old son Wyatt Morgan a pot of gold when he dies, "I don't know what I'll have," he said.
Cooper, the younger son of writer Wyatt Emory Cooper and artist and heiress Gloria Vanderbilt, said that his decision not to leave his son a portion of his massive wealth comes from his mother.
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Cooper revealed that his mother, who died at age 95 in June 2019, didn't plan to leave him an inheritance either. Cooper explained on The Howard Stern Show in 2014 that "My moms made clear to me that there's no trust fund, there's none of that."
On the podcast, Cooper said, "I'm not that interested in money, but I don't intend to have some sort of pot of gold for my son," and "I'll go with what my parents said … 'College will be paid for, and then you gotta get on it.'"
Cooper isn't the only person to deny his children a chunk of their wealth. Laurene Powell Jobs, the widow of the late Steve Jobs, has said she isn't interested in passing her $24 billion fortune down to her children. Father of five Gordon Ramsey has revealed similar plans; when asked about his children inheriting his fortune, he revealed "It's definitely not going to them," to The Telegraph in 2017.
Cooper has built up a respectable fortune, and according to MoneyInc, he is the richest news anchor in the world. His wealth is largely derived from his career in journalism, which dates back to 1992. Cooper commands a salary of $12 million a year from CNN, according to multiple reports, as host of Anderson Cooper 360.
Cooper is also a successful author. The story of his life and career, "Dispatches From the Edge: A Memoir of War, Disasters, and Survival," was a best-seller, and he co-wrote a memoir with his mother entitled "The Rainbow Comes and Goes: A Mother and Son on Life, Love, and Loss."
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