In a thoughtful, well-reasoned statement, Anderson Cooper came out as a proud gay man today, saying:
"Recently I’ve begun to consider whether the unintended outcomes of maintaining my privacy outweigh personal and professional principle. It’s become clear to me that by remaining silent on certain aspects of my personal life for so long, I have given some the mistaken impression that I am trying to hide something - something that makes me uncomfortable, ashamed or even afraid.
"This is distressing because it is simply not true."
In response to the (not surprising) reveal, many celebrities have taken to Twitter and sent the CNN anchor their best wishes. A sampling is below:
Neil Patrick Harris: “Good for you, @AndersonCooper. You’re awesome.”
Jesse Tyler Ferguson: “One of the reasons I look up to my friend @andersoncooper is his amazing eloquence. Very proud of him!”
Ellen DeGeneres: “I’m proud of you, @AndersonCooper.”
LeAnn Rimes: “Rock on @AndersonCooper for being a brave, classy man. Much respect!”
Kelly Ripa: “So proud of you @andersoncooper . Always have been, always will be.”
Sara Bareilles: “I applaud @andersoncooper for being authentic and honest with the public. It helps others feel brave too.”
Joan Rivers: “Thrilled @AndersonCooper came out! So, THAT’S why he never wanted to date me! I would’ve loved having Gloria Vanderbilt as my mother-in-law.”