Anderson Cooper Gets Hit by Flying Debris Live on Air Reporting on Hurricane Milton

Anderson Cooper is experiencing what Hurricane Milton can do firsthand. The CNN anchor, who was reporting live from Bradenton, Florida, as the category three storm made landfall on Wednesday, Oct. 9, was struck in the head by flying debris as the veteran journalist experienced Milton’s winds reaching 120 mph.

Cooper, who was reporting near the Manatee River, was explaining to CNN’s audience how the hurricane was affecting water levels 30 minutes after the storm touched down on Florida’s west coast when he found himself at Hurricane Milton’s mercy.

“You could see it in the light there, [the wind] is just whipping off the Manatee River. It’s coming in from the northeast and the water is really starting to pour over,” Cooper, 57, said during the broadcast.

“If you look at the ground — whoa!” Cooper continued as a large, white piece of debris flew by, hitting him in the head. The journalist, who was only sporting a baseball cap for head protection, stumbled briefly before continuing on unfazed. “That wasn’t good. We’ll probably go inside shortly,” he noted.

Cooper stood further away from the water in other segments of the live report but found himself getting knocked around by large waves that were crashing over the riverbank near his feet. In a video posted to X (formerly Twitter), one viewer noted that he was “fighting for his LIFE” trying to keep his balance while speaking with a colleague in another location.

Plenty of other viewers thought that Cooper being placed in danger to report on the storm was unnecessary, with one person in the comment section calling it “beyond stupid” to have him there. “This is 2024. We don’t need to see a reporter risk his/ her life to show what strong wind looks like,” they continued.

Another person agreed, writing, “Seriously? Save this man and keep him safe, for God’s sake. We know what a hurricane looks like. We don’t need to see Anderson getting hurt.”

Even Cooper’s longtime friend and co-host for CNN’s New Year’s Eve Live! Andy Cohen jumped onto social media to defend his friend. When one person wrote on their Instagram Story, “We need @andersoncooper and @bravoandy for NYE. Please get this national treasure under cover,” Cohen reposted the message, writing over top in large letters, “AGREE.”