Since finally coming out publicly as gay last July, Anderson Cooper just keeps the revelations coming. The recent recipient of GLAAD’s prestigious Vito Russo Award now shares his crush on a certain male heartthrob of yesteryear.
While playing a guessing game on his daytime chat show Anderson Live! with guests Andy Cohen and Arrested Development‘s Jessica Walters, Cooper revealed why the late ’70s-early ’80s were such, ahem, happy days. The host guessed the titles of popular TV series of the era while his guests gave clues. When Walters offered, “One of the stars was Anderson’s childhood crush.”
“Which one?” asks the host, before answering Joanie Loves Chachi. Ding!
“Wait, was the crush Scott Baio?” Cohen asks. (Did you really think Erin Moran stood a chance, Andy?)
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“Yeah,” Anderson confesses, adding that Baio was once a guest on the show, but that he “didn’t have the courage to tell him” that he was one of his childhood crushes.
Cohen tells Cooper, “Having met him it’s better you didn’t.”
Well, now he knows AC, but as Baio is a conservative Republican and his wife once posted an anti-lesbian rant on Facebook, you probably shouldn’t expect flowers anytime soon.
avesraggiana
Eeeeek!!!! No!!!! Not Scott Baio?!
I’ve always held Anderson Cooper in high regard, but Scott Baio?! I myself had the wet panties for Jon Schneider on Dukes of Hazzard.
Jonty Coppersmith
I can’t believe Mr. Cooper said that out loud.
Alas, my childhood crushes included Robert Conrad AKA “Jim West” and Patrick Duffy AKA
“The Man From Atlantis”.
northwest
Last night on Jimmy Fallon Anderson talked about another crush he had, Robbie Benson. Hopefully Robbie isn’t right wing homophobic scum like Baio these days.
yaoming
Never liked Scott Baio, never understood what the girls saw in him… but who am I to talk? I was in love with Albert on Little House on the Prairie.
Icebloo
Scott Baio was always wimpy and ugly. Once his career disappeared he became more famous in Hollywood for being a loser who constantly chased women. OF COURSE he would identify as a repugnant Republican !
Icebloo
@avesraggiana: Jon Schneider is a repugnant Republican too ! What is WRONG with you gays ???!!!!
northwest
Andy Cohen may have been able to convince AC that Baio is a douche.
Kieran
Where’d you find that picture of Scott Baio in a diaper?
hf2hvit
@Kieran: EASY! He goes to the same hookers as David Vitter
greyhound1954
I always thought Scott was pretty cute. When I was a young bi boy, spending my nights alone in front of the TV, I had crushes on Greg and Marcia Brady, Keith and Laurie (sp) Partridge, and Will and Penny Robinson.
jniceny
He was in a teen gay football afterschool special. http://scottbaio.wordpress.com/2012/08/
enfilmigult
@Jonty Coppersmith: Oh man, right with you on Robert Conrad on “Wild Wild West.”. So handsome, and those tight, tight pants he wore…I wonder if that show’s on DVD now, ha ha.
balehead
AC should have crushed on “Rex Smith”…can’t go wrong that much of a man…..
hudson
@yaoming: I’m with ya buddy. Albert was soooo cute. what became of him? We’re dating ourselves here!
kurt_t
My only teen crush that I’m willing to admit to is Peter Frampton.
And maybe-eee, ummm…
No. No, just Peter Frampton.
dvlaries
Thank God Andy’s taste graduated to muscular bar owners.
bondisteve
Although it pains me now (no pun intended) to say, my crush was on Kirk Cameron as Mike Seaver on Growing Pains.
Now there’s a Douche!
Bellerophon69
Euuwwww! Not Scott Baio?!?
Superman
Let’s see: Joanie Loves Chachi, Dukes of Hazzard, Wild Wild West, Man From Atlantis, Brady Bunch, and some references I don’t even recognize. All I can say is: Y’all is old, bitches!
My first crush was Tom Welling when he first came out in Smallville way back in 2001. That huge package has held up very well. If you put him in a lineup with Brandon Routh and Henry Cavill, well…you’ll have a Super-protein filled buffet! Yum! Seconds, thirds, and a doggie bag to go please!