It was just another Saturgay in New York.
Downtown, Anderson Cooper hosted a birthday party for gay party promoter Josh Wood at his West Village apartment, reports the Daily News. Farther uptown at East 59th Street’s Guastavino’s, Assemblyman Danny O’Donnell (below) tied the knot with John Banta, his partner of 31 years.
Danny’s famous sister Rosie brought along her four kids and her new fiancee Michelle Rounds, with whom Rosie wants to have a fifth child. Also attending was a Who’s Who of New York State political royalty: Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Sen. Charles Schumer, and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver.
And, while we haven’t gotten our hands on the guestlist from Anderson’s gay bash, the News does tell us he was “really social at the party [and] talked to all of his guests.” A regular Chatty Kathy, eh? Doesn’t surprise us.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Drew
Anderson Cooper is still a closet queen and a coward who is ashamed of being gay.
dsp
IMHO, I think he is slowly crawling out of the closet.
Fitz
I think it’s the other way around. I think he forces himself to stay away from
making the kind of public statement that would make it impossible for certain people
to accept him.
He’s not living a closeted life at ALL. He’s very obvious. No beard-wife.
christopher di spirito
Why does Rosie need a fifth child? She has four already. Hasn’t she heard of “carbon footprint”? She’s just a rich, self-indulgent lesbian.
Baird
I’d be willing to bet he’s not actually closeted to anyone who matters to him. Am I still in the closet because I have not expressly told all 7 billion people on the planet? No.
Cam
@Fitz: said…
“He’s not living a closeted life at ALL. He’s very obvious. No beard-wife.”
________________
He is obvious to gays, not to others. The same way Rosie O’Donnell was.
Fitz
@Cam: Yeah, and that’s GOOD. some queer person (especially a young person) could still watch his show and esteem him without the derision from liking someone more openly gay. No kid trying to pass is going to be a George Michal fan, or whatever.
I don’t know, but as I age, I am softening on this issue. There are people who
aren’t ready to come out, it isn’t safe or comfortable for them. I have this great, progressive, educated family, and I live in a big city.. not everyone has it so good.
Cam
@Fitz:
As a kid seeing people like that just reinforced that they were telling people to stay in the closet.
I could recognize that they might be gay but saw quite clearly that they were not out.
Shannon1981
“Common knowledge” outness isn’t good enough. Come out, Anderson.
curt
Anderson living the gay private life while now ignoring gay issues and all his shows. It’s been month’s since ac360 done a gay realted story. Three gay marriage bills are on the verge of passage, not a word from him. More teens comitting suicides, AC360 is ignoring them. Not any shows on gay issues on his datime show yet. I think he’s got even more closeted publicly.
Malky
So Anderson did nothing for his sexy boyfriend Ben’s birthday which was on January 27th?
Fitz
He hasn’t signed on to be our mascot.
His existence is very different from the semi-closeted of the past; he never lies, he doesn’t have a wife, he at all the same as those cheese 70’s and 80’s gays who wanted the fruits of gay labor but wasn’t willing to pay. And he isn’t working against us, against gay marriage or other issues.
He will, I am sure, eventually need to come out.. and when he does, that is the end of access to him by queer or questioning people in restrictive environments. I would encourage him to hold off for a while.
Mitch
@Malky: Anderson supports Ben and gives him a very handsome lifestyle. That’s enough I am sure.
Malky
@Mitch, quite true, can’t argue with you there.
Kim
@curt:If you have no respect for him or his choices why are you watching his shows or even googling the topics? How many gay shows has Rachel or Don Lemon done in the last month?
craig
@curt: He just had out Andy Cohen on his show, a couple weeks ago he had on lesbian mothers and back a while he had some shows on trans people and on bullying.
Dr. V
@christopher di spirito: Not that I’m a huge fan of Rosie but, as far as I know, aren’t at least 3 of her children adopted? Carbon footprint on children that were already born?
rrr
@Cam: Rosie was different. The internet was not in the kind of wide use back then that it is now, so her fans were not receiving the message all the time like Anderson’s do. Heavy, middle aged, plain looking, super successful woman Rosie was easily accepted as someone who can’t find interested men who she’s interested in, but everybody can see Anderson would be marriage bait for women if he was open to women so never dating them means something. Also Rosie put on a show of straight lust by making a supposed big crush on Tom Cruise an ongoing focus of her show.
curt
@craig: I’m not talking about having unacknowledged lesbian couples or Celeb Andy Cohen dishing about housewives or bullying or trans kids. I’m talking about gay relationships, gay issues about equality. You Ander fangurls know what I mean. I’m not talking about Lemon, or maddow. I’m talking about AC360 and for month’s have not reported on any gay issues even when people have tweeted AC about it. Stop making excuses for him, the fact is, his shows have stop reporting on gay issues for some reason.
Chris
Stop making Excuses for Anderson Cooper, there is a reason he won’t publicly say he’s a gay man and as very famous gay celeb it could really help other people if he acknowledge it.
RomanHans
Criticize Anderson Cooper all you want, but Queerty’s the one who used the phrase “gay party.” Because regular parties don’t feature gays? Thanks a lot. Can’t wait to read about 50 Cent throwing a black party.
Evan Mulvihill
@RomanHans: It was for an openly gay party promoter who throws gay parties, Romanans.
Ells
@Chris: what IS Anderson’s reason for not publicly saying he is gay??
Scoop
Here’s the scoop from a reliable source of mine who went to last Saturday’s party: Josh Woods is an old friend of Ben, they’ve known each other for years. They share the same birthday. Josh was initially planning to have his birthday party at his apartment in the East Village, but Ben offered to have the party at the firehouse instead and make it a joint celebration. Since they know a lot of the same people, it made sense. The party apparently was very successful and really fun. I wish I had been invited (and I usually don’t care for these things).
Bill
@Scoop: someone on DL commented that they had proof that Ben was not at the party Saturday night. Of course, they didn’t provide the proof soooo…..I am going with that Anderson and Ben are still a fabulous couple.
but what do you know about what was going around that Ben used to “brag” that he was going to snag a wealthy partner before he met Anderson?
Scoop
@Bill, Ben was at the party and I don’t know anything about him trying to snag a rich man, but if that was his intent, he certainly hit the jackpot with Anderson and not just because of the money.
zyzz
Well then sucks for all the naive women who secretly fawn over him. “Sucks”.
Will
@zyzz: Why do you think Anderson doesn’t come out? Because if he did, then all these “naive” women wouldn’t fawn over him. and may stop watching one of his shows.
BTW, Anderson said he didn’t know why he has beer in his fridge because he never has anyone over. Incredible. He can’t even be honest about something like that? (he also calls himself a recluse.)
Larry
some of you seem to want every gay celebrity to have “GAY” tattooed on their forehead…this is a stupid non issue.
Kenover
Andy’s West Village bachelor pad isn’t an “apartment”… It’s an 8,000 square foot, $4.3 million decommissioned firehouse, complete with brass fire poles to slide down. How butch is that?
AxelDC
Is there some reason why people keep bending over backwards to pretend that Anderson Cooper is out? I’m sorry, but he hasn’t said it, he isn’t out. Doesn’t make him a bad person but lets not pretend the guy is some kind of hero. He is trying to have it both ways.
Ally
@Larry: The difference with Anderson is he says he lives alone with Molly when in fact he lives with his boyfriend. No, he doesn’t have to say he is gay. but he seems to be making this deliberate attempt to project himself as someone who has never dated or been remotely interested in another human being. I find that odd.
Kelly
@Larry: they don’t have to say they are gay or straight or whatever, but Anderson makes a point of saying to Kathy Griffin that he lives alone with his dog Molly. He says he never has anyone over at his house when in fact he and Ben just hosted a Christmas party and this last weekend a birthday party. He tells his viewers he is a recluse when I think at this point it is obvious it he is not.
My point is he goes out of his way to appear to his viewers that he has never had a shred of interest in another human being or has ever dated. How odd is that.
Dirty Ole Man
Kathy Griffin does not out AC publically or in her standup like she does others. They don’t talk about “it” on the New Years Eve show. I say CNN has Andrew in a contract that will not let him out himself while on camera.
Cam
According to some of the people on here, nobody needs to come out because everybody can somehow magically know and it’s a waste of time.
Anderson comes across as a nice guy on TV, but lets not pretend that he is even half as brave as any blue collar worker at an auto plant in the Midwest who comes out.
Lazycrockett
What if when he makes it official and states that he doesn’t like show tunes, thinks drag queens seem to be attention seeking whores, doesn’t enjoy “party drugs”, hates the thump thump music at the bars an would rather stay home watching news and understanding the world cultures for his next assignment,or watching Real Housewives over a glass of red, oh and understand that his coming out isn’t going to help anyone who is going through their own personal bullying/hell. Cause no matter how many celebs are out they can’t personally hold the hand or hug some kid who is being treated like shit.
CBRad
I still find Anderson Cooper the lowliest of the Vanderbilt family (he’ll associate with any trash) but I do think he’s smart not to “come out”. If he did, half the attention he gets would disappear.
Lilly
@Dirty Ole Man: CNN cannot put something like him not coming out in his contract. That would be illegal
Rick
@CBRad: I think Dan Choi is correct in how he feels about Anderson. Staying silent to promote his own personal financial and professional gain. Anderson has no business covering gay issues.
Cam
@Lilly: said. ” CNN cannot put something like him not coming out in his contract. That would be illegal”
____________________________
They wouldn’t phrase it like that. They would say something like “You may not bring undue attention onto your personal life, or any issues that may be controversial and call into question your ability to be non biased.”
Some B.S. like that. A court would probably strike it down, but they can absolutly do it.
Lilly
@Cam: yeah, as if his personal life isn’t already getting enough attention now! LOL! Well, Don Lemon obviously didn’t have a clause like that. though admittedly he doesn’t generate the interest Anderson does.
christopher di spirito
@Dr. V: Only living human beings create a carbon footprint. Dead people do not.
Paul
Dan Kloeffler made a back-handed “gay” comment about a man on World News Now and the media called that his coming out statement. Anderson Cooper makes all kinds of “gay-ish” comments about himself. On an episode of Regis and Kelly, Kelly put a picture of a young Anderson Cooper down her blouse and Anderson said, “sweetie, that’s the last place I’d look for it.” Anderson is so obviously gay and I say more power to him. Do we all have to walk around with a pink triangle on our foreheads?
Jen
I find the ignorance of some people here impressive. Noone seemed to have considered that he wanted to remain neutral as a journalist and that he travels to countries that KILL GAYS, for f**ks sake!
And now he’s out and is risking even more and some of those bitter jealous queens bash him for that. Oh well, you will never get your hands on him. He is unattainable for you. Deal with it.