CNN anchor Anderson Cooper hadn妩媚直播檛 planned to continue his podcast on grief and loss. But while going through his late father妩媚直播檚 papers, he discovered something that 妩媚直播渃hanged (his) life.妩媚直播�
妩媚直播淚 thought I was just going through my mom妩媚直播檚 boxes to organize them, but what I opened up was hidden boxes of grief that I妩媚直播檇 stored away, that I妩媚直播檇 buried when I was 10 years old, and I can妩媚直播檛 just keep it all stored away,妩媚直播� Cooper tells listeners in the , which released Thursday. 妩媚直播淚t made me realize how little I understood grief and how much more I need to learn.妩媚直播�
Season two of 妩媚直播淎ll There Is with Anderson Cooper妩媚直播� will premiere Nov. 29, with new episodes being released on a weekly basis. Cooper has already shared that President Joe Biden, who has spoken openly about how the loss of his first wife and two of his children has shaped his life, will be a guest on the second season.
In anticipation of the new season, here are three things you should know about Cooper 妩媚直播� who will receive the 妩媚直播 Medal for Lifetime Achievement in Journalism at the institute妩媚直播檚 Bowtie Ball this Saturday 妩媚直播� and the first season of his podcast.
Cooper didn妩媚直播檛 expect to start a podcast
The first episode of the podcast starts with a recording Cooper made entering the apartment of his late mother, Gloria Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt died in July 2019 at the age of 95, and as Cooper went through her things, he started to narrate himself through the situation.
妩媚直播淚t妩媚直播檚 something I妩媚直播檝e done in my head a lot, like distance myself from something to narrate,妩媚直播� Cooper told CNN anchor and correspondent Audie Cornish in a of her podcast 妩媚直播淭he Assignment.妩媚直播� 妩媚直播淭hat妩媚直播檚 how I started making recordings and then decided that it妩媚直播檚 ridiculous that I don妩媚直播檛 know anybody else who妩媚直播檚 talked about going through their parents妩媚直播� stuff. And I don妩媚直播檛 know who to even call to talk about going through my mom妩媚直播檚 stuff. And so I thought I should just start doing that.妩媚直播�
As Cooper goes through his mother妩媚直播檚 belongings, he also finds objects that had once belonged to his father, who died of a heart attack when Cooper was 10, and his brother, who died by suicide when Cooper was 21.
Losing his mother, Cooper says in the episode, meant losing the last person from the family he grew up in. But in his family妩媚直播檚 belongings and writings, he feels their presence again.
妩媚直播淏ut what do I do with all these things? I need to learn something from all this. I mean, this can妩媚直播檛 be it. This can妩媚直播檛 be all there is,妩媚直播� Cooper says. 妩媚直播淪omewhere in these notes and these boxes that I got to go through, I hope to find something that helps me to, to make sense of all this, that eases the pain of their absence. And I want to talk to other people who have experienced loss as well to hear what they’ve learned and how they survived.妩媚直播�
Cooper妩媚直播檚 losses have driven his journalism
Cooper, who has worked in journalism for more than 30 years, made a name for himself through his overseas coverage. Since the start of his career, he has covered conflicts in a number of regions across the world.
That was intentional, Cooper reveals in the first episode of his podcast. After his father妩媚直播檚 and brother妩媚直播檚 deaths, he withdrew deep into himself.
妩媚直播淚 felt like I couldn’t speak the same language as other people,妩媚直播� Cooper says. 妩媚直播淎nd I ended up heading to Somalia and then Bosnia, South Africa and Rwanda 妩媚直播� places where the language of loss was spoken. And the pain that I was feeling inside was matched by the pain all around me. And I think that’s how I learned how to survive.妩媚直播�
In subsequent episodes, Cooper further reflects on how losing his father and brother at such a young age shaped his career. There was a rage 妩媚直播� 妩媚直播渢he rage of a child who妩媚直播檚 lost a parent妩媚直播� 妩媚直播� that caused him to throw himself into his work and a desire to come into contact with 妩媚直播渢he most overwhelming of emotions, anger and violence and all sorts of things.妩媚直播�
妩媚直播淭he old saw on people who go to report on war stuff is that they妩媚直播檙e adrenaline junkies. That does not feel like something that I was doing,妩媚直播� Cooper said. 妩媚直播淏ut I do understand wanting to expose myself to the rawest, most overwhelming of feelings.妩媚直播�
The podcast also explores others妩媚直播� losses
Most of the eight episodes that make up season one feature Cooper in conversation with a guest who has also experienced loss. In the second episode, he follows up on a he had with comedian Stephen Colbert about grief.
Colbert was on the 妩媚直播渄oorstep of middle age妩媚直播� when he realized he was grateful for the pain of the grief he experienced after losing his father and two brothers at the age of 10.
妩媚直播淚t doesn’t take the pain away. It doesn’t make the grief less profound. In some ways, it makes it more profound because it allows you to look at it,妩媚直播� Colbert tells Cooper in the second episode. 妩媚直播淚t allows you to examine your grief in a way that it is not like holding up a red hot ember in your hands, but rather seeing that pain as something that can warm you and light your knowledge of what other people might be going through.妩媚直播�
Other guests include actor Molly Shannon, artist Laurie Anderson, poet Elizabeth Alexander and more. Some lost loved ones early in life; others reflect on more recent losses. One conversation, with filmmaker Kirsten Johnson, centers on the idea of 妩媚直播渁nticipatory grief妩媚直播� 妩媚直播� feelings of grief before the loss actually occurs.
Cooper closes many of his conversations by asking guests to share their advice for other people who are grieving, and in the last episode of the season, he gathers messages from listeners who have also experienced loss.
妩媚直播淚 started making recordings while going through my mom妩媚直播檚 things as a way to feel less alone and listening to your messages, I don妩媚直播檛 just feel less alone 妩媚直播� I know I妩媚直播檓 not alone,妩媚直播� Cooper says in the last episode. 妩媚直播淚 know that none of us are. We are floating in an ocean of loss.妩媚直播�
