CNN host Anderson Cooper has come face-to-face with Hurricane Milton, leaving internet users worried for his safety on top of the safety of millions of Floridians.
Cooper was struck directly by flying debris as he gave a live report during the powerful winds that descended on west-central Florida on Wednesday night, October 9.
Cooper was explaining the rising winds and increasingly dangerous weather conditions when he was hit by what looked like a square-shaped object.
“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 said, not wearing any protective headgear.
“Woah!” he exclaimed when suddenly, he was smacked head-on.
“OK, that wasn’t good,” he continued, appearing to be stunned but uninjured by the incident.
“We’ll probably go inside shortly,” Cooper added. “But you can see the amount of water here on the ground. This is water from the Manatee River. It’s also water coming from the land as well.”
CNN anchor Kaitlin Collins assured viewers of Cooper’s safety: “I do want to note for everyone watching who is very concerned obviously about all of our correspondents and anchors on the ground, Anderson is okay.”
“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.”
The 57-year-old father of two later hoisted up the culprit, a piece of styrofoam that had blown from the river and into the beloved TV star.
In other portions of the show, Cooper stood farther away from the water, but the aggressive waves still reached him, knocking him around, other X videos captured.
Cooper’s live coverage during the storm sparked concern over his well-being, with others mad at the network for putting him through the wringer while already fearing for their fellow citizens:
CNN had better let Anderson Cooper black out on New Year’s Eve for this. pic.twitter.com/MvAxR8Ekiv
— Alexis (@TheNotoriousLEX) October 10, 2024
why they got anderson cooper like this on cnn pic.twitter.com/Pc32QrW0Xb
— jasmine ♡ (@jazzyliyana) October 10, 2024
The moment Anderson Cooper gets hit by flying debris in Bradenton, FL.
WTF pic.twitter.com/2mrLbQpgGZ— Nick Danger, Third Eye ️♂️ (@Farjar138) October 10, 2024
“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. It’s like 120mph winds. Get my sweet porcelain glass anchor inside,” another X user wrote.
“I like how CNN sees no problem with putting Anderson Cooper smack dab in the center of Hurricane Milton but somehow draw the line at letting him drink on New Year’s Eve,” wrote a fourth.
“He battled the palm trees for over an hour, and then they moved him into 6 feet of water!” penned a fifth.
“Right?” replied a sixth. “He has kids. His partner must be losing it watching him on TV!”
“Man, credit to Anderson Cooper,” wrote a seventh. “He gets paid really really well to be behind a desk and under no circumstances needs to be out there actually doing this and yet there is.”
“Don’t put Anderson at risk like this. He’s a national treasure. Go help evacuate people,” wrote one more.
Milton, which grew to a catastrophic Category 5 storm, made landfall in Siesta Key, near Sarasota, as a Category 3 at 8:30 p.m. on October 9. It caused tremendous damage, power outages for more than 2 million properties, and there were reports of multiple deaths.
