Anderson Cooper’s grief podcast expands live on CNN
Anderson Cooper’s podcast All There Is, which examines grief, will be a weekly initiative with a live show.
Anderson Cooper isn’t afraid to openly share his thoughts on grief.
CNN correspondents appeared on an episode of author Megan Farley’s “All There is Live with Anderson Cooper” to discuss the recent death of Farley’s wife, poet and activist Andrea Gibson. The two continued to talk about the finality of death, which made Cooper visibly emotional.
“You used the word ‘allegedly’ when talking about Andrea’s death, and I love that,” the journalist told Farry in a conversation about what he had written about his late wife. “It felt very strange to say with such certainty, ‘Andrea is dead,’ as if you knew what that meant,” Farley said.
“We don’t really know what that means, I don’t think so,” Farley added. Cooper agreed: “That’s true.”
Gibson passed away in the early morning hours of July 14 at his home in Boulder, Colorado, “surrounded by his wife Meg, four ex-girlfriends, his mother and father, dozens of friends, and their three beloved dogs,” according to a social media announcement at the time.
Farley told Cooper: “I felt so many signs and communications that it just didn’t feel right. And I haven’t said ‘Andrea is dead’ yet. So I love being told that Andrea is dead.”
Gibson wrote seven books of poetry, including “You Better Be Lightning,” “Lord of the Butterflies,” “Take Me With You,” “Pansy,” “The Madness Vase” and “Pole Dancing to Gospel Hymns.” With his wife Megan Farry, he also published a prose book, How Poetry Can Change Your Mind.
Gibson and Foley are also the subject of the 2025 documentary “Come See Me in the Good Light.” Directed by Ryan White, the film follows Gibson and Foley as they face the former’s incurable cancer diagnosis.
Ms Farley told Ms Anderson, adding that because of her “limited understanding of the physical and mental,” it was essential that she use the words she saw fit when dealing with Mr Gibson’s death. “Language is very important to me, so if something isn’t right, I’m going to make the necessary adjustments,” Farry added.
“You should try it, Anderson,” she told the host. At that moment, Cooper took off his glasses and buried his face in his hands, wiping away his tears. He shared that he cried when he heard Farley’s words because, “What you said is so unique and I think it’s true…Yeah, we have no idea what this means.”
Cooper is not new to discussing grief, its effects on the living, and how it changes one’s perspective on life. But doing her first grief podcast in three years, “All There Is,” in addition to CNN’s live show, has helped her cope with the loneliness and loneliness she’s grappling with as she copes with the loss of her father, author and screenwriter Wyatt Cooper, and socialite Gloria Vanderbilt.
His father passed away about 50 years ago and his mother passed away 6 years ago. “I realized, as many people do at some point in their lives, that there was a lot of unrecognized grief that I hadn’t paid attention to, and that completely changed my life,” he says.
Cooper’s live show, “All There Is,” airs Thursday nights at 9:15 p.m. ET on CNN.
Expect Cooper to speak not only to celebrities—future guests include Luke Bryan, Mariska Hargitay, and Charlamagne the God—but also to the podcast’s listeners and viewers, who regularly leave voicemails and share their stories of grief with him.
Contributors: David Oliver and Melina Khan, USA TODAY
