Anderson Cooper Reveals Why He Came Out in 2012

With his newborn son, Anderson Cooper has a lot to be thankful for these days. As he pointed out when he announced the child's birth for many queer people, having children sometimes can seem like a far off dream but its increasingly become a reality. With his new son Wyatt, Anderson is feeling happy.

"I'm great," he told Ellen DeGeneres on a recent Ellen Show appearance. "I'm like sort of blissfully happy. Yeah, I'm great. I can't stop smiling."

The birth of his son has been a turning point in his life, he told DeGeneres, especially since the recent passing of his mother, the fashion designer, socialite, and heiress Gloria Vanderbilt last year.

"I lost my mom, my mom died this past June," Cooper said. "You know, in one year to have this incredible juxtaposition of my mom's life ending and her grandson's life beginning, it's just extraordinary."

It's been about a decade since Cooper's last appearance on Ellen. And while it's true that since he's become a father, he's also since come out publicly about his sexuality. He took yesterday's appearance to reflect on why he came out when he did in 2012.

"It got to the point in my life where not saying something seemed like I was saying something," he explained. "By not saying something that seemed like I was indicating that I was somehow ashamed of something or you know not happy being gay. And the complete opposite has always been the case. I consider it, along with Wyatt, one of the great blessings in my life."

Or, as DeGeneres had observed earlier, "having a son will make you dance."

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