CNN’s Anderson Cooper Gets Hit In Head By Debris While Covering Hurricane Milton

Anderson Cooper took one for the team on Wednesday, but CNN confirmed that he’s okay.

The 57-year-old news anchor was reporting live from Bradenton, Florida on Oct. 9, just as Hurricane Milton was making landfall in Florida’s central west coast, when he was hit in the head by flying debris.

“The water now is really starting to pour over,” Cooper said, surrounded by ferocious winds and rain. As he went to show viewers the flood that was forming at his feet, a large white object entered the shot.

“Okay, that wasn’t good,” he said after the object struck him near the nose. “Um, we’ll probably go inside shortly, but you can see the amount of water here on the ground. This is water from the Manatee River.”

Nearly 30 seconds after getting hit, Cooper picked up an object off the ground that came flying in from the river.

“Thankfully, it’s just styrofoam,” he clarified.

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Later on in the segment, CNN anchor Kaitlin Collins assured viewers that Anderson, along with all the other reporters on the ground, were “okay,” referencing how difficult it was to get secure connections.

“Just obviously understandably difficult to establish a connection when you’re seeing what’s happening with the wind and the rain,” she continued. “And obviously the deteriorating conditions by the minute.”

Viewers question why CNN needed Cooper on the ground

As the video of Cooper getting hit in the head went viral, many of his fans and followers took to social media to question CNN’s decision to put him out there in such harsh conditions.

One X user posted a video of his wife cursing at the television as she watched Cooper’s segment.

“My girlfriend is having a full on melt down because @cnn has her favorite thing on earth @andersoncooper in the middle of a life threatening hurricane,” he wrote in the caption.

Some users were wondering why Cooper was so close to the river as it started to flood, while other users pointed out the irony of CNN telling everyone to “stay inside” while they put their reporters in harm’s way.

“What does putting Anderson Cooper on a pier in the middle of the ocean at the height of a hurricane in its center achieve in informing viewers,” one X user wrote. “Get my sweet porcelain glass anchor inside.”

Even Cooper’s longtime friend, Andy Cohen, joined in on the chaos, replying, “AGREE,” to a post on X that urged CNN to “get this national treasure undercover” because we need him and Cohen for New Year’s Eve.

Cooper thanks viewers for their endless support

Later that night, Cooper took to his Instagram to repost a Story from one of his followers praising him for his courageous coverage of Hurricane Milton.

“My #notsosecretcrush @andersoncooper With you since high school and Channel One in #homeroom,” the follower wrote. “Loving your #hurricanecoverage since #katrina. Stay strong Florida. #withyouinspirit”

Cooper thanked his follower, adding that he loves “hearing from Channel One students.” For reference, Cooper worked for Channel One News between 1990 and 1995. It was his first major news gig.

As for Hurricane Milton, it made landfall as a Category 3 storm at 8:30 p.m. on Oct. 9 near Sarasota, Florida. At least nine people have been confirmed killed in the storm’s aftermath, according to NBC News.

For information on how to access shelters or apply for assistance, visit disasterassistance.gov or call 800-621-3362. The American Red Cross is accepting donations for those impacted by the storm.