CNN anchor Anderson Cooper took a piece of debris to the face while reporting live from Brandenton, Florida, as Hurricane Milton made landfall, and the internet has been busy making jokes and reminding those not in the know that this is standard operating procedure for the out gay journalist.
On October 9, wearing only a baseball hat and raincoat for protection, Cooper was stoically reporting on the massive storm that brought tornadoes, huge waves, and strong winds to the area when a large piece of debris flew at the 57-year-old news anchor and hit him right in the face. "If you look at the ground—whoa!" he said when the debris made contact. "That wasn't good. We'll probably go inside shortly."
The footage immediately went viral on social media, and people were quick to point out that youngins might not realize this is nothing new for Cooper, who has been putting himself in harm's way covering natural disasters and war zones for decades. You always know when he pulls out the tight black T-shirt, you're going to get some real on-the-ground coverage — and some eye candy, too!
Other people joked that the news juggernaut seems OK with putting the face of CNN in the middle of a dangerous hurricane but drew the line at letting him get drunk on New Year's Eve with his bestie and co-host Andy Cohen. On Instagram, the Bravo host even reposted a message from a fan that read, "We need @andersoncooper and @bravoandy for NYE. Please get this national treasure under cover," writing, "AGREE."
Keep scrolling to see the funniest reactions to Anderson Cooper taking one for the team!