No inheritance for Anderson! CNN anchor Anderson Cooper, who comes from the Vanderbilts, one of the wealthiest families in American history, said Monday, March 31, that he will not be receiving any fortune from his mother Gloria Vanderbilt.
"My mom's made clear to me that there's no trust fund," Cooper told Howard Stern on his radio show. "There's none of that."
Cooper's mom is the great-great-granddaughter of railroad and shipping mogul Cornelius Vanderbilt. Still stunning at 90 years old, the Manhattan socialite and former denim designer is reportedly worth a whopping $200 million.
Gloria's equally-successful son, however, told Stern he was okay with not receiving an inheritance at all. "I don't believe in inheriting money," he said. "I think it's an initiative sucker. I think it's a curse."
Cooper explained, "Who has inherited a lot of money that has gone on to do things in their own life? From the time I was growing up, if I felt that there was some pot of gold waiting for me, I don't know that I would've been so motivated."
Today, the reputable journalist, 46, has become a household name on his own. The CNN personality, nicknamed the "Silver Fox" by fans, reportedly rakes in $11 million a year through his contact with the network.
"I'm doing fine on my own, I don't need any [money]," he told Stern.
While Cooper had a privileged upbringing in Manhattan, the Yale grad has mentioned he was unfazed by his wealthy background — in part, due to his father, Wyatt Emory Cooper. "I've never paid attention to it, honestly," Cooper said of the Vanderbilt family's wealth.
"My dad grew up really poor in Mississippi… I paid attention to that because I thought that's a healthier thing to pay attention to than like some statue of a great-great-great-grandfather who has no connection to my life."
