Anderson Cooper breaks down during convo about the finality of death

Anderson Cooper isn't afraid to openly share his views on grief.

The CNN correspondent sat down with author Megan Falley for an episode of his live show "All There Is Live with Anderson Cooper," where they discussed the recent death of Falley's wife, poet and activist Andrea Gibson. The two went on to talk about the finality of death, which caused Cooper to become visibly emotional.

"You used the word 'allegedly' when you talk about Andrea's death, which I kind of love," the journalist told Falley during their conversation about reading something she had written about her late wife. Falley replied, saying, "It felt so weird to talk with such certainty, to say 'Andrea died' as if any of us know what that means."

"We actually don't know what it means, I don't think," Falley added. To which Cooper agreed, "It's true."

Gibson died early July 14 at their home in Boulder, Colorado, "surrounded by their wife, Meg, four ex-girlfriends, their mother and father, dozens of friends, and their three beloved dogs," an announcement on their social media said at the time.

Falley shared with Cooper that she had "felt so many, sort of, signs and communications that it felt, it just didn't feel right, and it still doesn't say 'Andrea died,' so I love saying that Andrea allegedly died."

Gibson authored seven poetry books, including "You Better Be Lightning," "Lord of the Butterflies," "Take Me With You," "Pansy," "The Madness Vase," and "Pole Dancing to Gospel Hymns." With their wife, Megan Falley, they also published the prose book "How Poetry Can Change Your Heart."

Gibson and Falley are also the subjects of the 2025 documentary "Come See Me in the Good Light."The film, directed by Ryan White, follows Gibson and Falley as they face the former's incurable cancer diagnosis.

Speaking to Anderson, Falley added that because of "my limited understanding of a body and a spirit," using language that feels appropriate to her when processing Gibson's death is imperative. "Language is very important to me, so I feel like if something's not quite right, I'm going to make whatever adjustments I need," Falley added.

"I invite you to try it, Anderson," she said to the host. At that moment, Cooper took off his glasses and buried his face in his hands, wiping away tears. He shared that Falley's words brought him to tears because "what you said is so unique and, I think, true … yeah, we have no idea what this means."

Discussing grief, its impact on the living, and the ways it transforms his viewpoints on life isn't new to Cooper. But doing "All There Is" − his 3-year-old grief podcast, separately from the CNN live show − has helped him navigate the loneliness he struggles with as he processes the grief of losing his father, Wyatt Cooper, an author and screenwriter, and his mother, socialite Gloria Vanderbilt.

His father died nearly 50 years ago, and his mother died six years ago. "I've woken up to the realization, I think, as many people do at a certain point in their life, that there is all this unrecognized grief that I have not paid attention to," he says, "that I have not allowed myself to pay attention to, and it's completely altered my life."

Cooper's live show "All There Is" airs Thursday nights at 9:15 ET on CNN.

Expect Cooper to talk with not just celebrities – upcoming guests include Luke Bryan, Mariska Hargitay, and Charlamagne tha God – but podcast listeners and viewers, too, who regularly leave voicemails and share their grief stories with him.

Contributing: David Oliver and Melina Khan, USA TODAY