CNN Anchor, Anderson Cooper: I'm Gay and Proud

The host of Anderson Cooper: 360, 45 years old, also says that he has waited until now to announce the fact because, "As long as a journalist shows fairness and honesty in his or her work, their private life shouldn't matter."

Anderson Cooper...
"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 Monday in an open letter to his longtime friend Andrew Sullivan of the Daily Beast.

"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," Cooper began.

"It's become clear to me that by remaining silent on certain aspects of my personal life for so long," he continued. "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."

The Daily Beast
People magazine