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CNN Host Anderson Cooper Tears Up On-Air When Talking About His Friend, Anthony Bourdain

By Amy Feinstein
Published on: 12:40 PST, Jun 9, 2018

Last night on his show, Anderson Cooper 360, Anderson Cooper teared up when he remembered his friend, Anthony Bourdain, after the chef and writer committed suicide. Cooper and other hosts from CNN spoke of Bourdain and his skills as a storyteller in a segment called “Remembering Anthony Bourdain.”

Cooper opened the show saying that many people were mourning the loss of Bourdain through a range of emotions, said TooFab.

“Many of you, like many of us, are feeling a whole range of emotions: shock, sadness, confusion that a man who was seemingly having the ride of his life in the middle of his life has now suddenly reached the end of his life.”

In showing pictures of Bourdain, Cooper said it was hard to imagine that his friend was gone.

“It’s hard to imagine he’s gone. [It’s] hard to imagine that he’s not just off on some faraway journey, hard to imagine that he’ll not return with new stories to tell, new foods to share.”

Cooper, who lost his brother, Carter, to suicide in 1988 says he is having trouble talking about Bourdain in the past tense.

“Honestly, talking about him in the past tense it’s, it’s really — yeah, it’s really hard to — hard to imagine.”

Cooper says that he fondly remembers Bourdain trying to push him out of his comfort zone, convincing him to try new foods like blood sausage and aorta as part of his show on CNN, Parts Unknown.

“Anthony loved drinking and eating, tasting the delights of the world immersing himself in other cultures and countries — bringing the rest of us along on his journey.”

Cooper said that Bourdain seemed so immersed in life that it was hard to see what was obviously going on in his head and heart.

“It’s impossible from the outside to every fully know what goes on in someone else’s heart or in their head. It’s impossible to fathom how quickly one’s life can change.”

Anderson Cooper said that as his show aired, he was still in shock over Anthony’s suicide by hanging. Cooper said that he assumes that his friend must have been in pain.

“But certainly, you know, the pain he must have been feeling, at least in that moment or in those moments, and the loneliness he must be feeling it’s just terribly sad to think about. And makes me very sad for him to have — to have a succumbed to that. He gave me hope for what one’s life can become, can be at 61.”

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