Some of you in the comments sound bitter and pathetic. First of all, yes it's a fact that Vanderbilt's fortune was mostly gone by the time Anderson's mom got 'it', and there was not much left for Anderson, especially if we compare it to what they once had. The previous generation of Vanderbilt's (previous in relation to Anderson's mother) spent all of it, it's literally documented. Also, Anderson is not at fault for being born into wealth, and no matter how angry you are at the fact that one family was so rich, or no matter how brutal the Vanderbilts were on their path to fortune, the fact is that they made it. This is capitalism, and in the early days of capitalism, it was what it was. Vanderbilts weren't the first nor the last to create such a money empire, and yes, it also took an idea and hard work, besides being ruthless. And the first Vanderbilt - the first who came to America and started it all, like most emigrants, was poor but determined. Please, explain to me why no other poor guy had the idea that Vanderbilt had, and why no other poor guy made such a fortune as Vanderbilt made? At the end of the day, above all, Vanderbilt was also hard-working, smart, and he had an idea, so he made it and so his descendant has a right to this fortune, the 'original' Vanderbilt made it all for his future descendants as all people do. But also, Anderson ultimately worked for his own success in the media, and despite that he had money, he still had a hard life and his mother did too (she was the famous baby the Vanderbilts fought over in court, she had gone through awful mental trauma, read abt it). Anderson's father died young during the surgery, and his brother committed suicide. Anderson is very humble, he criticizes his own family many times, and he doesn't run away from difficult discussions about the Vanderbilt family at all! In fact, the opposite - he himself pointed out their many ugly sides and their greed. So Anderson is actually great and has a very good sense of morality, so how about you shut your ignorant, venomous mouth? No one chooses the family he/she is born into.
Well said! I was about to say the very same thing. One thing I pointed out in this interview is there is this underlying ugly message which to me feels like it is great to bastardize history. No matter what these families did is ‘past’ history as you said and it’s time we stop vilifying everyone who’s in it!
Mr. Cooper’s book on his own family was a very good read. Looking forward to the Astor book. As far as a deep dive into history, you can look up his source material.
My great grand mother was a "nanny" for one of the Astors when she came here from Sweden .........wish I would have asked her more questions , she died in 1997 at 100 yrs old , probably had some good stories !!!..........Erik
Anderson is a cool dude.We are not responsible for where we are born,nor,the color of the skin.I sometimes wonder,why are people, born where are,some rich,some very poor and others elsewhere.I think you just have to make the best with what you are given.Good deeds and bad deeds are handed down,through the generations,which is beyond our control.
Skin color matters greatly in this country and a Pollyanna notion that all things are equal and you can just pick yourself up by your bootstraps is not a luxury with which all can subscribe too… it’s not how the system was designed…. But how nice for you to believe this… peace ✌️
@@yaszit2210 Yes,skin color still matters,in many countries,even though we are not responsible for our skin colour.Pollyanna concept is wishful thinking and we are all aware,even though it is nice.
Anderson debunks the theory of “pick yourself up by the bootstraps” with chapters devoted to other groups of peoples living in NYC. ex: the draft riots during the Civil War, immigrants that barely survived, class struggles, and lgbt
Some people seem to have an insatiable appetite for those born into privilege. But the really interesting people are those who accomplish great things despite the many limitations that life presents to them. They are the ones who are true inspirations to us all.
THE ASTORS ALMOST WIPE OUT THE BEAVERS WHICH ARE SO VERY IMPORTANT TO THE ENVIRONMENT, THEY BUILD SMALL LAKES AND THOSE LAKES OR WATER HOLES DO SUSTAIN MANY, MANY TREES. THEY WHERE A HORRIBLE FAMILY.
What many of these tycoons have in common is that they were born poor - they knew what is was like to be hungry, so they had the tenacity and drive most people didn't have to be successful. Unlike their homelands, America was the land of opportunity and promise. Were they ruthless at times, yes, but all made their fortunes providing a need for the public. Back then people took wildlife for granted because it was abundant. Are there any millionaires that havn't cut corners to get there? I doubt it.
It’s unlikely Brooke wanted to be friends with Gloria considering by this time the Vanderbilts were essentially penniless. Brooke despite not being born an Astor had a succession of rich husbands and while not being born to money was incredibly rich.
I am absolutely fascinated by the Gilded Age and its families.What does such sudden staggering wealth do these people?I doubt they even thought of their legacies and how they wanted to create a dynasty for the future generations-how do you bring up a child to further continue your money making drive?.Some have persevered and their appearance in today's society is very discrete-no page six for these people: Dupont-Nemours, Rockerfeller, Whitney, Drexel and the Rothschilds to name just a few.You hardly ever hear about them on society's pages.
Anderson Cooper should have answered, "There's no change. It'll be the same". Regarding today's Wealthy and Privileged to yesterday's Wealthy and Privileged. We understand he has to sell his book, but he claims to put truth in journalism first. Shame.
Notice how he says "Is there anyone good in this story?" The holier than thou people of the 21st century, looking back...and down on at one of the most ruthless and successful businessmen of all time, who lived two centuries ago.
Exactly. When you criticize and judge others you're revealing your own lack of character. We should be appreciating the entrepreneurs of the day instead of virtue signaling about how crappy they were.
@@steve19811 your thinking is too simplistic. You can create _some_ reality, but many other aspects you cannot. You are subject to aspects of science, for example. If you’re born with the XX chromosome you cannot change it to XY.
@beachlover7268 They didn’t have the manufacturing, and thus, options that we have now. Them wearing animal fur was about surviving the cold. I hope you have as much compassion for the brown people who were cheated & killed as you do for animals.
Admit I have not read his Astor book. Being a "celebrity" Newsman does not make you an historian with thorough research, original document search, and access to libraries of old notes, diaries, etc.. Also the time necessary to do such research. Pop history for the Millennial generation. As to this book and interview, why didn't they mention the Astor male half of the family who emigrated to England with his fortune saying America was no place for a "gentleman". Took his money with him, and the Astor's became minor aristocrats among Britain's titled and upper class. Obviously other Astor's stayed in America.
Vincent Astor was not the richest person in the United States. So why does this incorrect statement remain unchallenged, except for dramatic effect. Men Like John D Rockefeller, Sr, John D. Rockefeller, Jr., and Andrew Mellon were much wealthier. As was Henry Ford.
Seems like a particularly scummy oligarch (irony the show is profiling beavers while Astor built his fortune on their pelts), but it's nice Anderson's family decided to define themselves in the opposite moral direction.
In another interview this poor little rich boy stated that "there wasn't a sum of wealth waiting for me". Nah, it wasn't $billions, just a few hundred $million. The disconnect between the rich and the poor would be funny if it weren't so tragic.
@johnnynephrite6147 Check your facts, by the time his mother died the Vanderbilt fortune was gone. Gloria had 1.5 million she left to her son. Now….that’s not chump change but it’s not a few hundred million
@@lewstone5430 would little Cooper with his glazed look of confusion really have had a $3milion a year contract with CNN if mommy wasn't Gloria Vanderbilt?
@@johnnynephrite6147 It's literally a documented fact. You can Google "Anderson Cooper inheritance" and read credible sources that have reported as much. The money was gone before Gloria even got access to it. Some of you all really choose to be bitter and angry over straight up misinformation that you've pieced together in your own minds. What a bizarre way to live.
Whooo cares….if these families cared just a little bit about Americans their would be no poverty in America. I like Anderson but…go buy my book? Really?
Self centered? My friends and I met Anderson back several years ago, after he had finished his 360° that night. He was totally opposite of being self centered. He asked each one of us how our trip had been to Ireland, he asked about our lives back home, he graciously answered all of our questions, and he helped us with our camcorders/cameras (they weren't working properly as it was very cold). He stood there in the cold talking to us for around 20 minutes or more, and it seemed that he enjoyed talking and cutting up with us, as much as we were with him. Not for one second do I believe that he is self centered. He may be rich, but he's definitely not self centered. Furthermore, it may be just my opinion, but I really think that whoever hired him at CNN to start with, had to see the qualities in him that makes for a great newscaster/news personality, rather than just who his ancestors were, or they wouldn't have hired him. Anderson quickly became one of the most loved by the public if not the most loved by the public, at CNN and was given his own time slot, which he still has today. The man is talented for what he can do, not who he is. Js
@lisamann8521 so he had good manners. That’s to be expected from someone so well-heeled. That 20 minute hangout session means you don’t know him at all. You get that right?
I hope they do another season of the Gilded Age because these characters really are interesting.
I just read Season 2 is coming !
The second season of The Gilded Age will start on 10/29/23. I'm looking forward to it too.
Yes i loved that program
Every now and then I see Anderson Cooper walking around the city. totally normal New Yorker. just blends in
Some of you in the comments sound bitter and pathetic. First of all, yes it's a fact that Vanderbilt's fortune was mostly gone by the time Anderson's mom got 'it', and there was not much left for Anderson, especially if we compare it to what they once had. The previous generation of Vanderbilt's (previous in relation to Anderson's mother) spent all of it, it's literally documented. Also, Anderson is not at fault for being born into wealth, and no matter how angry you are at the fact that one family was so rich, or no matter how brutal the Vanderbilts were on their path to fortune, the fact is that they made it. This is capitalism, and in the early days of capitalism, it was what it was. Vanderbilts weren't the first nor the last to create such a money empire, and yes, it also took an idea and hard work, besides being ruthless.
And the first Vanderbilt - the first who came to America and started it all, like most emigrants, was poor but determined. Please, explain to me why no other poor guy had the idea that Vanderbilt had, and why no other poor guy made such a fortune as Vanderbilt made? At the end of the day, above all, Vanderbilt was also hard-working, smart, and he had an idea, so he made it and so his descendant has a right to this fortune, the 'original' Vanderbilt made it all for his future descendants as all people do.
But also, Anderson ultimately worked for his own success in the media, and despite that he had money, he still had a hard life and his mother did too (she was the famous baby the Vanderbilts fought over in court, she had gone through awful mental trauma, read abt it). Anderson's father died young during the surgery, and his brother committed suicide. Anderson is very humble, he criticizes his own family many times, and he doesn't run away from difficult discussions about the Vanderbilt family at all! In fact, the opposite - he himself pointed out their many ugly sides and their greed. So Anderson is actually great and has a very good sense of morality, so how about you shut your ignorant, venomous mouth? No one chooses the family he/she is born into.
Well said! I was about to say the very same thing. One thing I pointed out in this interview is there is this underlying ugly message which to me feels like it is great to bastardize history. No matter what these families did is ‘past’ history as you said and it’s time we stop vilifying everyone who’s in it!
Very well said. Thank you.
The interviewer did very well. The questions were great!!!
Wish the interview was longer!
We need to see another season of the Gilded age show!
Second season of The Gilded Age starts 10/29/23.
So the Gilded Age series is loosely based on the Vanderbilt and Astors? That makes it even more appealing to me. 😊
The Gilded Age on HBO highlights the stories of these wealthy families at the time.
Mr. Cooper’s book on his own family was a very good read. Looking forward to the Astor book. As far as a deep dive into history, you can look up his source material.
How can I learn more about locating this source material???
Very interesting story about our American history whether you agree with how the wealth was obtained or not. Look forward to reading the book,
Interesting? How about diabolical?
@@paulwheeler6609 please note I said “whether you agree….or not”. History is what it is.
@@nancyjordan4275 Have you read "The Unknown American Revolution" by Gary Nash? Excellent.
@@paulwheeler6609 No, will definitely check it out. Thanks!
@paulwheeler6609 I just Googled it, looks fascinating. Thanks!
My great grand mother was a "nanny" for one of the Astors when she came here from Sweden .........wish I would have asked her more questions , she died in 1997 at 100 yrs old , probably had some good stories !!!..........Erik
I’m reading this book now and it’s very interesting and well written.
Well you should know that it’s mostly plagiarized
Anderson is a cool dude.We are not responsible for where we are born,nor,the color of the skin.I sometimes wonder,why are people, born where are,some rich,some very poor and others elsewhere.I think you just have to make the best with what you are given.Good deeds and bad deeds are handed down,through the generations,which is beyond our control.
Skin color matters greatly in this country and a Pollyanna notion that all things are equal and you can just pick yourself up by your bootstraps is not a luxury with which all can subscribe too… it’s not how the system was designed…. But how nice for you to believe this… peace ✌️
@@yaszit2210 Yes,skin color still matters,in many countries,even though we are not responsible for our skin colour.Pollyanna concept is wishful thinking and we are all aware,even though it is nice.
Anderson debunks the theory of “pick yourself up by the bootstraps” with chapters devoted to other groups of peoples living in NYC. ex: the draft riots during the Civil War, immigrants that barely survived, class struggles, and lgbt
Some people seem to have an insatiable appetite for those born into privilege. But the really interesting people are those who accomplish great things despite the many limitations that life presents to them. They are the ones who are true inspirations to us all.
It’s kind of hilarious how a Vanderbilt descendent wrote a book on the Astor family
And Anderson's mom left him nothing but advice. He made it himself & he's top tier.
So cool thank you!
THE ASTORS ALMOST WIPE OUT THE BEAVERS WHICH ARE SO VERY IMPORTANT TO THE ENVIRONMENT, THEY BUILD SMALL LAKES AND THOSE LAKES OR WATER HOLES DO SUSTAIN MANY, MANY TREES. THEY WHERE A HORRIBLE FAMILY.
Sounds like a very interesting book, will probably get it in audible
That was cool and interesting!!
I’m definitely reading the book!!
What many of these tycoons have in common is that they were born poor - they knew what is was like to be hungry, so they had the tenacity and drive most people didn't have to be successful.
Unlike their homelands, America was the land of opportunity and promise.
Were they ruthless at times, yes, but all made their fortunes providing a need for the public. Back then people took wildlife for granted because it was abundant.
Are there any millionaires that havn't cut corners to get there? I doubt it.
true
Thank you for sharing.
"Money is like manure, you've got to spread it around." Brooke Astor.
Come on Cooper. Write the book about the Morgans. That’s the real juicy stuff.
It’s unlikely Brooke wanted to be friends with Gloria considering by this time the Vanderbilts were essentially penniless. Brooke despite not being born an Astor had a succession of rich husbands and while not being born to money was incredibly rich.
It would be interesting to see what Anderson has to say about the descendants of George Vanderbilt that own Biltmore Estate.
Anderson Cooper wrote a book years ago about his family history called Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty; it was a bestseller.
I echo Snow Leopard. You can find out his thoughts in the book he wrote about his family.
The Astor motto was: hold-on to the holdings! Vincent Astor breached the family policy and, thus, gave-away and lost the family fortune.
Only the best.
I am absolutely fascinated by the Gilded Age and its families.What does such sudden staggering wealth do these people?I doubt they even thought of their legacies and how they wanted to create a dynasty for the future generations-how do you bring up a child to further continue your money making drive?.Some have persevered and their appearance in today's society is very discrete-no page six for these people: Dupont-Nemours, Rockerfeller, Whitney, Drexel and the Rothschilds to name just a few.You hardly ever hear about them on society's pages.
Didn't one of the astors died on the titantic?
Yep, John Jacob Astor IV. He's at the right hand side of the family tree at the beginning of the video. His son Vincent is at the bottom.
He LOVED the Beavers! 😂
How many of the Astor descendants left in America?
There are some. The British branch imo is more interesting, one of the Astor descendants is married to Queen Camilla’s daughter.
Ouch the skip commercial button.
Anderson Cooper should have answered, "There's no change. It'll be the same". Regarding today's Wealthy and Privileged to yesterday's Wealthy and Privileged. We understand he has to sell his book, but he claims to put truth in journalism first. Shame.
He reccomend you read those books.
Notice how he says "Is there anyone good in this story?"
The holier than thou people of the 21st century, looking back...and down on at one of the most ruthless and successful businessmen of all time, who lived two centuries ago.
So Christian ethics didn’t exist 200 years ago??
Exactly. When you criticize and judge others you're revealing your own lack of character. We should be appreciating the entrepreneurs of the day instead of virtue signaling about how crappy they were.
@@steve19811 so basically no standards, no rules or ethic’s because if you do it’s “vIrTuE sIgNaLiNg”. One day you’ll have to grow up.
You create reality so it's better to appreciate. You grow up@@lewstone5430
@@steve19811 your thinking is too simplistic. You can create _some_ reality, but many other aspects you cannot. You are subject to aspects of science, for example. If you’re born with the XX chromosome you cannot change it to XY.
I rather make my money without killing animals. Yes, I’m waiting for the negative comments. I couldn’t listen to the entire story.
@beachlover7268 They didn’t have the manufacturing, and thus, options that we have now. Them wearing animal fur was about surviving the cold. I hope you have as much compassion for the brown people who were cheated & killed as you do for animals.
All that money- I can’t wrap my brain around it
Admit I have not read his Astor book. Being a "celebrity" Newsman does not make you an historian with thorough research, original document search, and access to libraries of old notes, diaries, etc.. Also the time necessary to do such research. Pop history for the Millennial generation.
As to this book and interview, why didn't they mention the Astor male half of the family who emigrated to England with his fortune saying America was no place for a "gentleman". Took his money with him, and the Astor's became minor aristocrats among Britain's titled and upper class. Obviously other Astor's stayed in America.
Vincent Astor was not the richest person in the United States. So why does this incorrect statement remain unchallenged, except for dramatic effect. Men Like John D Rockefeller, Sr, John D. Rockefeller, Jr., and Andrew Mellon were much wealthier. As was Henry Ford.
German Street is sad but undeniable truth. In the business world it often pays to be a rotten person.
Anderson knows how to side- step, doesn't he???
"This era of these great families...", seriously? After that story Mr. Sanneh you are still going with the word "great"?
He’s gotta kiss the Ring.
he said 'quote' for a reason, meaning: not that great, don't you get it?
Lol a Vanderbilt getting revenge on the Astors by writing a mean book about them
Seems like a particularly scummy oligarch (irony the show is profiling beavers while Astor built his fortune on their pelts), but it's nice Anderson's family decided to define themselves in the opposite moral direction.
He's just going down the list of all of the Newport families 😅
Behind every great fortune lies a great crime.
Thank you we both share a great great great grandma ...we's forth cousins..😮
In another interview this poor little rich boy stated that "there wasn't a sum of wealth waiting for me". Nah, it wasn't $billions, just a few hundred $million. The disconnect between the rich and the poor would be funny if it weren't so tragic.
@johnnynephrite6147 Check your facts, by the time his mother died the Vanderbilt fortune was gone. Gloria had 1.5 million she left to her son. Now….that’s not chump change but it’s not a few hundred million
@@kjohnson5932 so says he. and believe it does you.
@kjohnson5932 you really believe everything the wealthy class tells you?? Wow!
@@lewstone5430 would little Cooper with his glazed look of confusion really have had a $3milion a year contract with CNN if mommy wasn't Gloria Vanderbilt?
@@johnnynephrite6147 It's literally a documented fact. You can Google "Anderson Cooper inheritance" and read credible sources that have reported as much. The money was gone before Gloria even got access to it. Some of you all really choose to be bitter and angry over straight up misinformation that you've pieced together in your own minds. What a bizarre way to live.
Carpet Baggers and parvenus.
Anderson is so attractive 😍
Funny how a Vanderbilt talking smack (facts) about the Astors all these years later.
Beverfur for hats
Whooo cares….if these families cared just a little bit about Americans their would be no poverty in America. I like Anderson but…go buy my book? Really?
Exactly, thank you!
Anderson defending CNN for hosting the Town Hall Trump event made me want to puke. Now we know why he keeps his political affiliation a secret.
This explains quite a lot about Mr Cooper, doesn't it?
Hey Cooper, I’m still in my silo!
RUTHLESS indeed. He has to be judged by God someday and he will have to answer for all of his greed and dirty deeds. It won't be pretty!
All this for this money
Illuminati
Anderson Cooper.... nepotism at its worst.
WOW A REAL SELF CENTERED MAN YOU ARE WHERE YOU ARE BECAUSE OF YOUR ANCENSTERS
Self centered? My friends and I met Anderson back several years ago, after he had finished his 360° that night. He was totally opposite of being self centered. He asked each one of us how our trip had been to Ireland, he asked about our lives back home, he graciously answered all of our questions, and he helped us with our camcorders/cameras (they weren't working properly as it was very cold). He stood there in the cold talking to us for around 20 minutes or more, and it seemed that he enjoyed talking and cutting up with us, as much as we were with him. Not for one second do I believe that he is self centered. He may be rich, but he's definitely not self centered. Furthermore, it may be just my opinion, but I really think that whoever hired him at CNN to start with, had to see the qualities in him that makes for a great newscaster/news personality, rather than just who his ancestors were, or they wouldn't have hired him. Anderson quickly became one of the most loved by the public if not the most loved by the public, at CNN and was given his own time slot, which he still has today. The man is talented for what he can do, not who he is. Js
@lisamann8521 so he had good manners. That’s to be expected from someone so well-heeled. That 20 minute hangout session means you don’t know him at all. You get that right?
@@lewstone5430 Yes, I see what you mean, but...he didn't have to stop and talk to us at all either, did he?
@@lisamann8521 refer back to my first response.
What is an ancensters?
the Astor's suck
Mommy woooo :)
Who cares he’s one of the most biased one-sided journalist ever
what about Anderson Pooper's family ?
My great great grandma was an Astor...