Here’s Why Gloria Vanderbilt Did Not Leave Inheritance to CNN Host Son Anderson Cooper

Gloria Vanderbilt did not leave an inheritance to her CNN Host son Anderson Cooper, and we now know the reason why.

In a resurfaced interview that Cooper did with Howard Stern in 2014, the journalist made it clear that he did not have a trust fund, nor did he want one.

“My mom’s made clear to me that there’s no trust fund. There’s none of that,” he said, adding, “I’m doing fine on my own. I don’t need any.”

“I don’t believe in inheriting money,” Cooper went on to say. “I think it’s an initiative sucker, I think it’s a curse. Who’s inherited a lot of money that has gone on to do things in their life? From the time I was growing up, if I felt like there was some pot of gold waiting for me, I don’t know if I would have been so motivated.”

“We believe in working,” he continue, per ET. “She’s the coolest person I know. She really is.”

In 1925, Vanderbilt inherited a trust that was worth around $5 million. That roughly converts to about $70 million by today’s standards. At the time of her death, it is estimated she was worth about $200 million.

Cooper previously spoke about his family heritage and wealth during a CBS This Morning interview, saying, “That name Vanderbilt has such baggage with it, such history, and I’m very glad I don’t have that name, and my mom never felt much connection to the Vanderbilt family and I certainly didn’t.” This was in reference to Cooper having the surname of his late father, Wyatt Emory Cooper, who had familial roots in Mississippi.

“One of the happiest days for my mom, she called me and said, ‘Somebody just referred to me as Anderson Cooper’s mom.’ Very happy that she’s reached that stage of life,” he later joked.

This week, Cooper announced the death of his mother, who passed away after a short battle with stomach cancer.

Eulogizing her on-air, Cooper said, “Gloria Vanderbilt lived her entire life in the public eye. Born in 1924, her father, Reginald Vanderbilt, was heir to the Vanderbilt railroad fortune, but gambled away most of his inheritance, and died when my mom was just a baby. Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt, her mother, wasn’t ready to be a mom or a widow.”

“My mom grew up in France, not knowing anything about the Vanderbilt family or the money that she would inherit when she turned 21,” he added, then stating, “She had no idea the trouble that money would create.”