Anderson Cooper has a new look.
The veteran CNN anchor has long been known for his icy blue eyes, steely white hair and slicked back appearance.
However, amid some time off from work, he debuted a new, much scruffier look that fans may not be used to.
On Thursday, August 7, Anderson took to Instagram and shared a rare candid post, a selfie to his Instagram Story.
In it, he appears in a car, wearing a navy polo shirt, a matching Yankees cap and glasses, and he has grown out a salt and pepper beard.
"Heading back to work soon," he wrote, and proposed: "Shave or Keep?" Largely private about his personal life, he did not share where he had been, however at the end of last month, he did make an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to support him amid the recent controversial cancellation of the long-running CBS flagship show.
Anderson is based between a historic, 18-room, 10,127 square-foot summer estate in Bantam, Connecticut called Rye House, and a home in New York City (a converted firehouse) where he lives with his former partner Benjamin Maisani.
The former couple were together for almost ten years before they split in early 2018, however in 2020, the two decided to become fathers together for the first time, as exes.
They first became dads that year when they welcomed son Wyatt Morgan through surrogacy, and they later welcomed another son, Sebastian Luke, in 2022.
During an interview with People in 2023, the doting dad described co-parenting with Benjamin as "very natural," and explained: "I work nights, and so he's there at night. And we both wake up right before they wake up, get them their milk and spend the first couple of hours of the day just us with them."
Plus, he revealed: "Benjamin speaks French to them," joking: "I have no idea what they're saying. I think they're plotting against me."
Further detailing their living arrangement during another interview that year with Howard Stern, the host couldn't help but note how "unconventional" it is, however Anderson argued: "We're family and we love these kids, and we're adults." Then Howard asked the question that might have been on everyone's minds: "And when you bring home a date?" however the father-of-two simply confessed: "I'm not dating."