My Creepy Pet Sam

'I know it's creepy!' Anderson Cooper unveils the perfectly preserved dead body of his childhood pet snake

By Hannah Roberts

Last updated at 5:26 PM on 7th October 2011

Most of us remember our first pet as a fond and distant memory.

But Anderson Cooper doesn't need to think too hard to conjure up a perfectly clear picture of his childhood companion.

The talk show host has revealed that he still has the perfectly preserved and framed body of his pet snake Sam.


In a bizarre episode of his day time show to be aired today, the news anchor shows the audience the body of his former pet who his father had encapsulated in lucite after his death.

As he unveils Sam, Cooper acknowledges that the audience may find the revelation a little 'creepy'.

But he claims that his producers insisted he bring the dead snake on the show after he made the mistake of telling them the strange story.

He explains: 'I was heartbroken when Sam finally died and I was so upset that my dad came up with a plan to encase Sam in lucite so that I would always have Sam.

'I know, it's a little creepy, it's becoming a little silence of the lambs.'

The silver-haired newsman is known to have had an unconventional childhood.

He was the youngest son of artist and shipping heiress Gloria Vanderbilt who lived a privileged but bohemian life. But the life of privilege was tinged with tragedy. Anderson's father Wyatt Cooper died during heart surgery when the journalist was just 10 years old and his brother Carter later committed suicide. The revelation about Anderson's secret memento comes as part of a animal extravaganza show dedicated to pets, and owners who are obsessed with them.



Just a few weeks in, the new talk show has been beset by problems. In a tragic turn, a teenager is in a coma after one of Anderson's producers encouraged him to film his outlandish antics for a show on the 'teenage mind,' according to Gawker.

The teenager suffered a severe head injury in a skateboarding accident, after producers told him to film 'the crazy stuff you do.' And producers are desperate to pull in viewers following poor ratings.



In a slightly more mainstream part of today's episode Anderson also introduces the audience to his own current dog Molly, flanked by Curb Your Enthusiasm star Susie Essman who brings her Shih Tzu, Sumo on the show.

The broadcaster also meets the infamous Willow the cat, who made a cross country trek from Colorado to Manhattan five years ago and even reunites the adventurous feline with her family for the first time.

The show also features the stars of a new reality TV show called 'Doggie Moms' which will follow a group of New York City women whose lives revolve around their dogs.