Andrew Rannells says his on-and-off romance with Anderson Cooper lasted roughly nine months, although they saw each other relatively few times. He discussed the relationship during a new episode of OMG Obsessed with Zosia Mamet.
Mutual friends introduced them while Rannells was in his twenties and still establishing his acting career. He recalled having recently performed in Hairspray on Broadway and not being particularly well known.
“He was super cool and so smart,” Rannells told Mamet, his former Girls costar, about the television journalist.
The relationship ended after Rannells went away for work. He said it did not finish badly; it simply “fizzled out,” according to Just Jared.
Cooper Called From a Satellite Phone With Helicopters in the Background
Cooper sometimes called Rannells from a satellite phone while working, with helicopters audible behind him. He would tell the actor he had been thinking about him. Rannells recalled his own reaction: “This is the greatest moment of my life.”
Rannells remembered assuming they might be falling in love. Looking back, he joked that Cooper could have been “rolling calls,” checking in with several people from the same phone. He said he felt hurt when he began to think he might not be the only person receiving that attention.
His Dating Story Inspired Elijah’s Romance With a News Anchor on ‘Girls’
Andrew Rannells spills on his relationship with Anderson Cooper when he was 25, which went on to inspire a storyline in HBO’s hit show ‘Girls.’
Watch the full interview here: https://t.co/JOBkCEGIfi pic.twitter.com/YCkY2N3mhl
— Daily Beast’s Obsessed (@beastobsessed) June 15, 2026
Rannells had already discussed the relationship with Kevin Fallon on the Daily Beast’s Obsessed podcast earlier this year. During that earlier interview, he said he had told Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner about dating Cooper, and the experience became material for Girls.
The show’s fifth season paired Rannells’ character, Elijah Krantz, with successful news anchor Dill Harcourt, played by Corey Stoll. Viewers were asking about a possible Cooper connection when the episodes aired in 2016.
Asked directly about Cooper in an April 2016 Queerty interview, Stoll answered, “I don’t know. I was playing Dill Harcourt. I did not base this character on anybody.”
Cooper also addressed the comparison that year. He told the New York Post that he would be flattered, although he thought Dill seemed more like Bill O’Reilly, according to the remarks reproduced by TV Insider. “I’m a friend of Andrew’s. I should ask him,” Cooper said.