The Watch What Happens Live host and Cooper first met in the early ’90s when they were almost set up on a blind date. However, the pair’s dynamic never became romantic because Cohen broke the CNN news anchor’s “cardinal rule” of dating — mentioning his socialite mother, Gloria Vanderbilt.

“Andy and I were first set up on a blind date, which never happened because we had a phone call and after two minutes I said, ‘I’m not dating this guy,’” Cooper recalled on Watch What Happens Live in December 2016. “He broke my cardinal rule … he mentioned my mom within the first four sentences of meeting me.”

Although the duo never went on a date, they forged a friendship that developed into an equally strong working relationship. Cohen and Cooper have hit the road together every year since 2016 for their conversational stage tour, “AC2: An Intimate Evening with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen.” The Radio Andy host has also joined Cooper to cohost CNN’s New Year’s Eve Live since 2017.

Cohen and the Nothing Left Said author not only support each other professionally but have leaned on each other through the ups and downs of their personal lives. The Bravo exec shared a touching tribute in honor of Cooper’s mother, Gloria, when she died in June 2019.

“Gloria Vanderbilt was an amazing woman who lived a life filled with incredible peaks and impossible obstacles,” Cohen wrote at the time via Instagram. “Through it all she remained eternally optimistic with a wicked sense of humor. In fact, Anderson’s iconic and infectious giggle comes from his mom. Sending Anderson all my love, and may she Rest In Peace.”

Cooper was also by Cohen’s side — while still respecting social distancing guidelines — as the Bravo host recovered from coronavirus in April 2020. Cohen shared a photo of his pal riding by his New York City apartment via Instagram.

“This is about as close as I’ll be getting to @andersoncooper for a while…. (on 10x zoom lens btw!)” Cohen captioned the blurry photo.

The BFFs have also both achieved a major milestone —becoming parents. Cohen welcomed his son, Benjamin, via surrogate in February 2019. Cooper, for his part, announced the birth of his son, Wyatt, via surrogate in April 2020.

Cohen revealed via Instagram in May 2020 that he hopes their sons will “be best friends” when they get older — just like their dads.

Scroll down to see Cohen and Cooper’s sweetest BFF moments.

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This story originally appeared on: US Magazine - Author:Mariah Cooper