Anderson Cooper might be sitting on millions of dollars, but he doesn’t care.
The cable news anchor, 46, who is the son of heiress Gloria Vanderbilt — legacy to the New York railroad fortune — says the family’s old money won’t fall in his lap.
“My mom’s made clear to me that there’s no trust fund,” Cooper told radio host Howard Stern on Monday. “There’s none of that.”
Cooper added that he doesn’t “believe in inheriting money” and that he thinks having one would be a “curse.”
“Who’s inherited a lot of money that has gone on to do things in their own life?” he said. “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.”
Gloria Vanderbilt, 90, who is reportedly worth $200 million, is arguably just as known for being a descendant of railroad tycoon Cornelius Vanderbilt as she is for her careers in fashion and art.
“She made more money on her own than she ever inherited,” Cooper said. “We believe in working.”
The CNN anchor makes $11 million a year and has been the cable network’s most popular personality. Cooper doesn’t “own any railroads,” he joked.
“Honestly, like my dad grew up really poor in Mississippi,” he said.
“I more paid attention to that because I thought that’s a healthier thing to pay attention to than like some statute of a great-great-great grandfather who has no connection to my life.”
