Anderson Cooper comes out: Kathy Griffin says she's 'immensely proud' of her good friend but warns he should 'be careful'
The comedienne wrote a piece for the Daily Beast expressing her happiness for her friend's announcement
By Joyce Chen / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Tuesday, July 3, 2012, 11:39 AM
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@kathygriffin via instagram
Kathy Griffin tweeted a photo of herself with Anderson Cooper on Monady.
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Anderson Cooper's response to the outpour of support and congratulations following his announcement Monday was almost as understated as his coming out.
But not, by any means, any less heartfelt.
"I appreciate all the nice tweets," he wrote on his Twitter account Tuesday. "I am in Botswana working but want to wish everyone a great 4th of July!"
In an email exchange with The Daily Beast columnist Andrew Sullivan published Monday, the 45-year-old journalist finally indicated that he is, indeed, a gay man.
"The fact is, I'm gay, always have been, always will be, and I couldn't be any more happy, comfortable with myself, and proud," the CNN anchor wrote.
A flurry of messages lit up Twitter almost immediately afterward.
PHOTOS: CELEBRITIES WHO'VE COME OUT
"I'm proud of you Anderson Cooper," comedian Ellen DeGeneres tweeted.
"So proud of you Anderson Cooper. Always have been, always will be," TV host Kelly Ripa added.
Close pal Kathy Griffin tweeted a photo of herself holding hands with Cooper while sunbathing with the caption: "Here I am with my friend who I'm so proud of."
But while the foul-mouthed comedienne is "immensely proud" of Cooper's announcement, she also notes that she's concerned for his safety now that he's out to the public.
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| Griffin and Cooper during their New Years Eve show in 2009. (EDWARD M. PIO RODA/CNN) |
"The reality is that despite the very real, the very necessary, and the very life-changing process we have made in this country in treating people across the sexual orientation spectrum with dignity and respect, America - the world - is not fully represented by Chelsea in New York City," she wrote.
"What many young people do know is what they read in short bursts on celebrity Twitter posts or on TMZ. And what they read and see is how freeing being honest can be," she continued. "What they don’t see is that it remains, in many places, very dangerous to do just that. And that dichotomy is deeply troubling to me."
PHOTOS: SAME SEX STAR COUPLES
For those reasons, then, Griffin explains that she's never outed Cooper, always talking around questions about his sexuality.
"Believe it or not, I don't 'out' people," she wrote. "It is neither my business nor my desire. Remember, folks, I am a comedian, not a journalist."
"Anderson is someone who has led a very specific kind of professional life, who never talked and simultaneously exhibited social contradictions," she added. "And quite frankly, he never gave me permission to speak about something that represented the one part of his life he was not comfortable having confirmed in the media. ... But I do know that I don't want my friend to face that part of the world, where he might die a very different kind of death than someone who isn't quite so honest.
"Here’s the thing: I love my friend Anderson and remain immensely proud of him. And I’m honored, truly, that he considers me a friend. But I just want him to be careful. Of course he wouldn’t be doing his job if he really were being careful. And he wouldn’t be who he is."
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[Source]
Kathy Griffin: I Would Never Have Dreamed of Outing Anderson Cooper
Jul 2, 2012 10:12 PM EDT
Over the years, as the media fixated on Anderson Cooper’s sexuality, Kathy Griffin talked around the questions. Now that he’s come out, she explains why she thinks her friend needs to be careful.
My friend Anderson Cooper is the scion of one of America’s great shipping and railroad families, the Vanderbilts. He’s covered the military coup and eventual unseating of the democratically elected (albeit bat-shit crazy) Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide. He’s covered the small wars in Africa that use children as slave soldiers. He knows more about the women of The Real Housewives than perhaps even I do. He’s covered the seemingly endless large wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. And by “covered,” I mean he’s really gone and covered them—with a security detail and without; embedded with troops and unilaterally—not from the relative safety of the Green Zone in Baghdad or the international zone in Kabul. He’s sat down with despots in countries like Somalia, covered the atrocities in the Balkans and Burma. And he also happens to be gay.
Funny thing, that …
Kicking around for as many years as I have, I’ve done countless interviews pushing Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List, stand-up comedy specials, live comedy dates, the Kathy show, and everything in between. I’ve talked to everyone from a local gay blogger to Time magazine. I’m not really sure at what point it changed, but the press—or at least the press who covered my little carnival—became fixated on Anderson’s orientation. And for years, I talked around it.
Believe it or not, I don’t “out” people. It is neither my business nor my desire. Remember, folks, I am a comedian, not a journalist. These weren’t questions where I could make a joke about Ryan Seacrest getting a mani/pedi. This isn’t a joke I make about whether Oprah and Gayle are gay lovers. I have no idea if Oprah and Gayle are gay lovers. I doubt they are, but as a comedian, I find some comedy in picturing those two girls running the world as a power couple. Anderson is someone who has led a very specific kind of professional life, who never talked and simultaneously exhibited social contradictions. And quite frankly, he never gave me permission to speak about something that represented the one part of his life he was not comfortable having confirmed in the media. But in my dealings with a certain sector of the press, that simply was never good enough.
So while I’ve tried to protect my friend and represent him the way he would most prefer, I was never exactly clear on just how to do it, how to say it. One year, while in the middle of doing several interviews to promote New Year’s Eve Live on CNN, I had a discussion with Anderson about it. “For Christ’s sake, Anderson, I’ve been getting asked as much about your sexuality as I have about my own show!” I said.
He said: “Kathy, I don’t get asked as much about my sexuality as you get asked about my sexuality. But here’s my standard party line: ‘I want to report the news. I don’t want to be the news.’”
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| Getty Images (2) |
The reality is that despite the very real, the very necessary, and the very life-changing progress we have made in this country in treating people across the sexual orientation spectrum with dignity and respect, America—the world—is not fully represented by Chelsea in New York City. It’s not fully represented by DuPont Circle in Washington, D.C.; the Castro; or West Hollywood. Hell, it’s not even Ft. Lauderdale and its Wilton Manors or Denver’s Capital Hill neighborhood. America is, in large part, small towns like Oxnard, Calif. It’s Sevierville, Tenn. It’s Laramie, Wyo. And it’s Wichita, Kan., where I was eating recently at a local diner and a patron asked me, “Kathy, how do you deal with so many goddamned fags?”
Many of my young gays don’t know about Uganda’s “Kill the Gays” initiative, which was developed with the help of some extremist American evangelicals. Many don’t know about Stonewall or, more recently, the importance of Lawrence v. Texas. They don’t know about Cuba’s jailing of HIV patients or even that Iran has sentenced gay teenagers to death by hanging. They don’t know that in large portions of Baghdad, honest LGBT folks are hunted and summarily executed by roving bands of so-called morality police, who kill with impunity both the “out” and those simply perceived to be gay. What many young people do know is what they read in short bursts on celebrity Twitter posts or on TMZ. And what they read and see is how freeing being honest can be. What they don’t see is that it remains, in many places, very dangerous to do just that. And that dichotomy is deeply troubling to me.
--------------------------------
I don’t want my friend to face
that part of the world, where he
might die a very different kind of
death than someone who isn’t
quite so honest.
--------------------------------
Anderson writes: “I’ve begun to consider whether the unintended outcomes of maintaining my privacy outweigh personal and professional principle. 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.”
Here’s the thing: I love my friend Anderson and remain immensely proud of him. And I’m honored, truly, that he considers me a friend. But I just want him to be careful. Of course he wouldn’t be doing his job if he really were being careful. And he wouldn’t be who he is.
| Like The Daily Beast on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for updates all day long. A Chicago native, Kathy Griffin was a student and later a teacher at the Los Angeles Groundlings Theatre. She built up her resume with guest spots on ER, The X-Files, and Seinfeld, and co-starred on Suddenly Susan. In 2005, she entered the world of reality TV with her double Emmy-winning show, Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List for Bravo. Her stand-up specials Kathy Griffin: Straight to Hell (2008) and Kathy Griffin: She’ll Cut a Bitch (2009) were both nominated for an Emmy. Griffin has been nominated four years in a row by the Grammys for Best Comedy Album, and her memoir Official Book Club was No. 1 on The New York Times bestseller list. She received rave reviews on Broadway for her one-woman show Kathy Griffin Wants a Tony, and she is a recipient of the GLAAD Vanguard Award, the Trevor Project’s Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Human Rights Campaign's Ally for Equality Award. Griffin currently has a talk show on Bravo called Kathy. For inquiries, please contact The Daily Beast at editorial@thedailybeast.com. |
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[Source]
Anderson Cooper Comes Out: 'The Fact Is, I'm Gay'
The Huffington Post | By Jack Mirkinson
Posted: 07/02/2012 11:08 am Updated: 07/02/2012 11:42 pm
Cooper made the announcement in an email to writer Andrew Sullivan.
"The fact is, I'm gay, always have been, always will be, and I couldn’t be any more happy, comfortable with myself, and proud," he wrote.
Cooper's sexuality has long been the subject of ample media speculation, but he has never publicly confirmed it.
“I just don’t talk about my personal life," he told New York magazine in 2005. "...The whole thing about being a reporter is that you’re supposed to be an observer and to be able to adapt with any group you’re in, and I don’t want to do anything that threatens that.”
On Monday, though, Cooper reversed course:
"I have always been very open and honest about this part of my life with my friends, my family, and my colleagues. In a perfect world, I don't think it's anyone else's business, but I do think there is value in standing up and being counted. I’m not an activist, but I am a human being and I don't give that up by being a journalist."
Cooper also said that he ultimately decided that he was doing more harm than good by not speaking up:
"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. I’ve also been reminded recently that while as a society we are moving toward greater inclusion and equality for all people, the tide of history only advances when people make hemselves fully visible."
You can read the full email here.
Previously, the 45-year-old CNN anchor and daytime talk show host has been romantically linked to Benjamin Maisani, the co-owner of New York City gay bars Eastern Bloc and Bedlam.
View a photograph of Cooper and Maisani below, then scroll down to keep reading:
Cooper becomes at least the sixth, though by far the most high-profile, openly gay anchor in the cable news business. He joins CNN colleagues Don Lemon and Jane Velez-Mitchell, as well as MSNBC's Thomas Roberts, Rachel Maddow and Steve Kornacki.
As Sullivan himself said in his post, Cooper is just the latest celebrity to come out in a relatively understated way. Just fifteen years ago, Ellen DeGeneres revealed she was gay in a storm of magazine covers and publicity. Now, though, stars are just as likely to quietly disclose their sexuality.
The statement prompted a flood of congratulations. Roberts, Lemon and DeGeneres all tweeted their well-wishes. So did Cooper's close friend Kelly Ripa. Gay rights group GLAAD also issued a statement.
"Even prior to coming out publically, Anderson's terrific work has raised awareness of inequalities facing LGBT people," GLAAD President Herndon Graddick said. "I'm proud to call him my friend. He's a role model to millions and now will inspire countless others."
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[Source]
Talk show host Anderson Cooper: "I'm gay"
Published July 02, 2012
Associated Press
Anderson Cooper revealed on Monday that he is gay, ending years of reluctance to talk about his personal life in public.
The CNN journalist wrote in an online letter that he had kept his sexual orientation private for personal and professional reasons, but came to think that remaining silent had given some people a mistaken impression that he was ashamed.
"The fact is, I'm gay, always have been, always will be, and I couldn't be any more happy, comfortable with myself and proud," he wrote in the letter, published by Andrew Sullivan of the Daily Beast.
Cooper, the son of Gloria Vanderbilt, had long been the subject of rumors about his sexual orientation. He said that in a perfect world, it wouldn't be anyone's business, but that there is value in "standing up and being counted."
"I still consider myself a reserved person and I hope this doesn't mean an end to a small amount of personal space," he wrote. "But I do think visibility is important, more important than preserving my reporter's shield of privacy."
CNN said it would not comment, and that Cooper was on assignment and there were no plans for Cooper to discuss it on the air.
Few national television news reporters have publicly acknowledged being gay, with MSNBC's Rachel Maddow and CNN's Don Lemon perhaps the best known.
Cooper's show, "Anderson Cooper 360," received an award this year from the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.
"Even prior to coming out publicly, Anderson's terrific work has raised awareness of inequalities facing LGBT people, said GLAAD President Herndon Graddick. "He's a role model to millions and now will inspire countless others."
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[Source]
Anderson Cooper: ‘The fact is, I’m gay’
By Dylan Stableford, Yahoo! News | The Lookout – Mon, Jul 2, 2012
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| Cooper (AP) |
"The fact is, I'm gay," Cooper wrote in an email to Daily Beast blogger Andrew Sullivan. "Always have been, always will be, and I couldn't be any more happy, comfortable with myself, and proud."
Sullivan, who is gay and is a longtime friend of Cooper's, had asked the CNN anchor for his reaction to a recent Entertainment Weekly story - "The New Art of Coming Out" - which was, in part, about the importance of gay celebrities coming out of the closet to combat America's bullying epidemic.
"Andrew, as you know, the issue you raise is one that I've thought about for years," Cooper responded. "Even though my job puts me in the public eye, I have tried to maintain some level of privacy in my life. Part of that has been for purely personal reasons. I think most people want some privacy for themselves and the people they are close to."
[Related: Is there a right way to come out?]
"But I've also wanted to retain some privacy for professional reasons," Cooper continued. "Since I started as a reporter in war zones 20 years ago, I've often found myself in some very dangerous places. For my safety and the safety of those I work with, I try to blend in as much as possible, and prefer to stick to my job of telling other people's stories, and not my own. I have found that sometimes the less an interview subject knows about me, the better I can safely and effectively do my job as a journalist. I've always believed that who a reporter votes for, what religion they are, who they love, should not be something they have to discuss publicly."
Cooper said he did not come out in his 2006 memoir, "Dispatches from the Edge," because the book was meant to be about war and not about his personal life. But his thinking has since changed:
Recently, however, I've begun to consider whether the unintended outcomes of maintaining my privacy outweigh personal and professional principle. 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.
While it's the first time Cooper has been on the record about his sexuality, it's been an open secret in the media and gay communities for years. In 2007, for example, Out magazine put Cooper on its list of the 50 most powerful gays. In 2011, Cooper gave a winking nod to his homosexuality during a panel discussion with writers from The Onion.
And last month, Cooper was among the celebrities featured in a New York Observer cover story on "the glass closet."
"In a perfect world, I don't think it's anyone else's business, but I do think there is value in standing up and being counted," Cooper - who says he's always been open with family and friends - added in his email. "Visibility is important, more important than preserving my reporter's shield of privacy."
Gay groups quickly applauded Cooper's courage.
"Our members share his sentiment that as journalists, not activists, we have a significant role to play as advocates for fair and accurate coverage of the LGBT community in the mainstream media," David Steinberg, president of the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, said in a statement to Yahoo News. "We have worked hard to ensure that all journalists are comfortable being out in the newsroom and having it not be perceived as detrimental to their ability to do their job."
[Related: Facebook adds same-sex icons for couples]
Cooper's announcement "helps us move 'what shouldn't matter' closer to 'what doesn't matter,'" actor Michael McKean tweeted.
"Anderson Cooper wasn't in the closet," Tina Dupuy wrote on Twitter. "He was in the none-of-your-business."
Not everyone, though, celebrated the manner of Cooper's announcement. Gawker Media chief Nick Denton, who is openly gay, tweeted: "Anderson Cooper: you seek 'visibility' and [yet] bury your coming-out announcement."
"Anderson Cooper would have come out of the closet sooner but being on CNN prevented him from accurately breaking a news story," joked Comedy Central's Indecision Twitter feed.
While Cooper is certainly the most prominent news personality to announce he's gay, he isn't the first - even at CNN. Last year, weekend and daytime anchor Don Lemon came out of the closet in a memoir titled "Transparent."
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[Source]
Anderson Cooper comes out: 'The fact is, I'm gay'
Jul 2 2012 11:42 AM ET
by James Hibberd
In discussing last week’s Entertainment Weekly cover story on the emerging trend of celebrities nonchalantly coming out of the closet, Cooper revealed his sexuality to Daily Beast blogger Andrew Sullivan. Sullivan emailed Cooper about the story, noting that public figures revealing their sexuality still matters, even if many are no longer startled by the news. The 45-year-old newsman has always been private about his personal life and has long been rumored to be gay.
“We still have pastors calling for the death of gay people, bullying incidents and suicides among gay kids, and one major political party dedicated to ending the basic civil right to marry the person you love,” Sullivan wrote. “So these ‘non-events’ are still also events of a kind; and they matter. The visibility of gay people is one of the core means for our equality.”
To which Cooper responded:
Andrew, as you know, the issue you raise is one that I’ve thought about for years. Even though my job puts me in the public eye, I have tried to maintain some level of privacy in my life. Part of that has been for purely personal reasons. I think most people want some privacy for themselves and the people they are close to.
But I’ve also wanted to retain some privacy for professional reasons. Since I started as a reporter in war zones 20 years ago, I’ve often found myself in some very dangerous places. For my safety and the safety of those I work with, I try to blend in as much as possible, and prefer to stick to my job of telling other people’s stories, and not my own. I have found that sometimes the less an interview subject knows about me, the better I can safely and effectively do my job as a journalist. …
Recently, however, I’ve begun to consider whether the unintended outcomes of maintaining my privacy outweigh personal and professional principle. 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.
I’ve also been reminded recently that while as a society we are moving toward greater inclusion and equality for all people, the tide of history only advances when people make themselves fully visible. There continue to be far too many incidences of bullying of young people, as well as discrimination and violence against people of all ages, based on their sexual orientation, and I believe there is value in making clear where I stand.
The fact is, I’m gay, always have been, always will be, and I couldn’t be any more happy, comfortable with myself, and proud.
I have always been very open and honest about this part of my life with my friends, my family, and my colleagues. In a perfect world, I don’t think it’s anyone else’s business, but I do think there is value in standing up and being counted…
Cooper’s full statement to Sullivan is here.
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[Source]
Anderson Cooper: "The Fact Is, I'm Gay, Always Have Been, Always Will Be"
Posted by snicks on July 2, 2012
After years of what we'll call "speculation," Anderson Cooper has joined the list of celebrities using the low-key approach to coming out.
Anderson sent an e-mail to longtime friend and The Daily Beast columnist Andrew Sullivan, in which he explains why he's always been hesitant to discuss his sexuality, and why he chose now to take that step.
Recently, however, I’ve begun to consider whether the unintended outcomes of maintaining my privacy outweigh personal and professional principle. 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.
I’ve also been reminded recently that while as a society we are moving toward greater inclusion and equality for all people, the tide of history only advances when people make themselves fully visible. There continue to be far too many incidences of bullying of young people, as well as discrimination and violence against people of all ages, based on their sexual orientation, and I believe there is value in making clear where I stand.
The fact is, I'm gay, always have been, always will be, and I couldn’t be any more happy, comfortable with myself, and proud.
I have always been very open and honest about this part of my life with my friends, my family, and my colleagues. In a perfect world, I don't think it's anyone else's business, but I do think there is value in standing up and being counted. I’m not an activist, but I am a human being and I don't give that up by being a journalist.Of course, this doesn't come as a shock, but as Andrew points out, "The visibility of gay people is one of the core means for our equality." So kudos, Anderson!
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[Source]
2 Jul 2012 07:45 PM
Anderson Cooper: "The Fact Is, I'm Gay."
[Re-posted from earlier today.]
Last week, Entertainment Weekly ran a story on an emerging trend: gay people in public life who come out in a much more restrained and matter-of-fact way than in the past. In many ways, it's a great development: we're evolved enough not to be gob-smacked when we find out someone's gay. But it does matter nonetheless, it seems to me, that this is on the record. We still have pastors calling for the death of gay people, bullying incidents and suicides among gay kids, and one major political party dedicated to ending the basic civil right to marry the person you love. So these "non-events" are still also events of a kind; and they matter. The visibility of gay people is one of the core means for our equality.
All of which is a prelude to my saying that I've known Anderson Cooper as a friend for more than two decades. I asked him for his feedback on this subject, for reasons that are probably obvious to most. Here's his email in response which he has given me permission to post here:
Andrew, as you know, the issue you raise is one that I've thought about for years. Even though my job puts me in the public eye, I have tried to maintain some level of privacy in my life. Part of that has been for purely personal reasons. I think most people want some privacy for themselves and the people they are close to.Me too.
But I've also wanted to retain some privacy for professional reasons. Since I started as a reporter in war zones 20 years ago, I've often found myself in some very dangerous places. For my safety and the safety of those I work with, I try to blend in as much as possible, and prefer to stick to my job of telling other people’s stories, and not my own. I have found that sometimes the less an interview subject knows about me, the better I can safely and effectively do my job as a journalist.
I've always believed that who a reporter votes for, what religion they are, who they love, should not be something they have to discuss publicly. As long as a journalist shows fairness and honesty in his or her work, their private life shouldn't matter. I’ve stuck to those principles for my entire professional career, even when I’ve been directly asked “the gay question,”which happens occasionally. I did not address my sexual orientation in the memoir I wrote several years ago because it was a book focused on war, disasters, loss and survival. I didn't set out to write about other aspects of my life.
Recently, however, I’ve begun to consider whether the unintended outcomes of maintaining my privacy outweigh personal and professional principle. 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.
I’ve also been reminded recently that while as a society we are moving toward greater inclusion and equality for all people, the tide of history only advances when people make themselves fully visible. There continue to be far too many incidences of bullying of young people, as well as discrimination and violence against people of all ages, based on their sexual orientation, and I believe there is value in making clear where I stand.
The fact is, I'm gay, always have been, always will be, and I couldn’t be any more happy, comfortable with myself, and proud.
I have always been very open and honest about this part of my life with my friends, my family, and my colleagues. In a perfect world, I don't think it's anyone else's business, but I do think there is value in standing up and being counted. I’m not an activist, but I am a human being and I don't give that up by being a journalist.
Since my early days as a reporter, I have worked hard to accurately andfairly portray gay and lesbian people in the media - and to fairly and accurately portray those who for whatever reason disapprove of them. It is not part of my job to push an agenda, but rather to be relentlessly honest in everything I see, say and do. I’ve never wanted to be any kind of reporter other than a good one, and I do not desire to promote any cause other than the truth.
Being a journalist, traveling to remote places, trying to understand people from all walks of life, telling their stories, has been the greatest joy of my professional career, and I hope to continue doing it for a long time to come. But while I feel very blessed to have had so many opportunities as a journalist, I am also blessed far beyond having a great career.
I love, and I am loved.
In my opinion, the ability to love another person is one of God’s greatest gifts, and I thank God every day for enabling me to give and share love with the people in my life. I appreciate your asking me to weigh in on this, and I would be happy for you to share my thoughts with your readers. I still consider myself a reserved person and I hope this doesn’t mean an end to a small amount of personal space. But I do think visibility is important, more important than preserving my reporter’s shield of privacy.
Update: The Beast created a video tribute to Anderson's work - watch it here.
(Photos courtesy of Anderson Cooper and CNN) ￬￬￬
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