Being an anchor on the Cable News Network has sent Anderson Cooper into many unusual situations -- including conflicts in Somalia, Bosnia and Rwanda -- but none of those experiences could have prepared him for what happened during a concert by popular singer Madonna Louise Ciccone in Brooklyn on Saturday night during her “Rebel Heart Tour.”
While singing a vulgarity-laced tune called “Unapologetic Bitch,” the pop star noticed Cooper in the audience at the Barclays Center and brought him onstage to take part in the routine with other male dancers.
Although the other men on the stage were dressed in tuxedos and Cooper was in casual clothing, he did his best to blend in with Madonna's routine. Fortunately, Cooper has stated that he basically grew up at the Studio 54 club.
After following Madonna's lead in dancing to the song, the long-time reporter was bent over by two of the dancers while the singer spanked him several times with a hand and a foot before Madonna made an obviously sexual motion on Cooper.
A few minutes later, the singer stopped and declared:
I don't think you need an introduction. Ladies and gentlemen, a big round of applause for Anderson Cooper!
That was. like. the low-key CNN style, right?
“I'm not gonna get too cray cray on stage, right?” she asked. “You know what? You did good. You're a brave man.”
“I love you, Madonna,” Cooper said happily.
“I love you, too,” the singer replied.
“We have a prize,” she continued, “a very special surprise for each evening's unapologetic bitch.”
“It's a banana,” Madonna said as she handed one to Cooper.
"Now, there are so many things you can do with a banana," she said while the openly gay anchor blushed. "I'm sure you can figure out what to do with it."
“It's nutritious and … it's nutritious, and it just can really fill you up.” the singer explained.
At that point, Cooper began peeling the banana and eating it while the audience cheered. He was then led off the stage as Madonna returned to her routine.
Later that night, Cooper posted a few photos of his experience on his Instagram page.
As Newsbusters previously reported, Cooper had a guest on his show in September of 2014 who declared that “corporal punishment, in any form, is abusive.”
Legal affairs commentator Areva Martin commented on the child abuse case against National Football League player Adrian Peterson while Anderson stated that the athlete “believes this type of discipline prevented him from being lost in the streets, and contributed to his success."
Martin responded:
We have the studies that confirm that there are long-term, psychological/emotional scars from hitting children.
So, we can't bury our heads in the sand on this. We have to accept that data; accept the harm it's done to kids; and just stop hitting.
As a result, it's curious that Cooper would go along with an act that promoted spanking.
Of course, that's not the only time the CNN host has promoted controversial ideas on his weeknight series.
In December of 2013, CNN's Anderson Cooper decided to wade into the debate concerning what race Santa Claus is.
“You probably heard about a very important debate going on right now over Santa Claus,” Cooper stated. “It all started when Megyn Kelly said this on Fox News regarding a tongue-in-cheek suggestion that maybe he shouldn't be a white man but a more all-inclusive penguin.”
Kelly's comment on the matter began:
And by the way, for all you kids watching at home, Santa just is white but this person is just arguing that maybe we should also have a black Santa, but, you know, Santa is what he is and just so you know, we're just debating this because someone wrote about it, kids.”
Toure Neblett from MSNBC decided to virtually repeat Kelly's comment by stating: “Santa Claus is black; he just is;” while openly gay CNN anchor Don Lemon asserted that “Santa Claus to me is a black man.”
In other instances, Cooper has been criticized for his liberal stance on issues. For example, Sean Hannity of Fox News slammed him for comparing the Central Intelligence Agency to Nazis but ignoring Obama’s drone strikes.
All of this might come back to haunt Cooper when he moderates the October 13 Democrat debate. Here's hoping that his ability to ask tough questions is better than his dancing "skills."
