Anderson Cooper Explains Why He Came Out

On the season premiere of his daytime talk show on Monday, Anderson Cooper took a few moments to poignantly explain why he recently went public with what's been an open secret for years: he's gay.

Back in July, the CNN anchor gave his permission to friend and blogger Andrew Sullivan to publish an email in which he said, "The fact is, I'm gay, always have been, always will be, and I couldn't be any more happy, comfortable with myself, and proud."

He'd been out for a long time to friends, family and co-workers, but after refusing to publicly discuss his sexuality for so long, what made him finally tell the world?

"As a reporter, I didn't think it was appropriate. It didn't seem like part of my job," he told his guest co-host, actress Kristin Chenoweth. "[But] I do think that the tide of history only moves forward when everyone is fully visible. I didn't want to send a message that there was anything I was ashamed about or unhappy about or not comfortable with. That was the main thing for me."

Cooper's revelation this summer was largely met with overwhelming public support, and for that, he's grateful, adding, "I am the same person I always was, I do the job just the same way."

Preach it, you sexy silver fox, you.