Two-panel image. On the left, Anderson Cooper stands outdoors in Florida amidst storms while reporting on Hurricane Milton for CNN. On the right, he is pictured in a suit and glasses at a red carpet event.

God save the queen — and by that, we mean Anderson Cooper!

The beloved silver fox journalist was on the ground when Hurricane Milton hit Florida on Wednesday evening, attempting to update CNN viewers through powerful winds and torrential downpours.

According to Gov. Ron DeSantis, the hurricane was “significant” but “thankfully … not the worst case scenario,” though it was a Category 3 storm when it made landfall and brought “deadly storm surge to much of Florida’s Gulf Coast” before it was eventually downgraded to a Category 1.

Nevertheless, the Anderson Cooper 360 host seemed to be on-air during the worst of it, and the girls were worried!

At one point, he was even hit in the face by flying debris!!

Watch.

“The water now is really starting to pour over,” he told viewers before getting struck. “If you look at the ground — whoa. OK, that wasn’t good.”

The moment was nearly too much for the veteran reporter, and he quickly added, “Um, we’ll probably go inside shortly, but you can see the amount of water here on the ground.”

Of course, the dramatics were heightened when CNN cut to fellow anchor Kaitlan Collins, who assured “very concerned” viewers that “Anderson is OK.”

As she explained, “[It’s] just obviously understandably difficult to establish a connection when you’re seeing what’s happening with the wind and the rain and obviously the deteriorating conditions by the minute.”

Naturally, the internet was freaking out over both the crush-worthy newscaster’s safety in the dangerous storm and his dedication to covering the story.

While Cooper has yet to comment on the harsh conditions (or hit to the noggin), he shared a clip from his new podcast about grief on Thursday morning. So, presumably, the father of two made it out safe and sound.

That said, the 57-year-old certainly went through the wringer documenting those whipping winds and thrashing rain.

And while CNN recently limited his and co-host Andy Cohen‘s alcohol consumption for their annual New Year’s Eve broadcasts, we’d say he’s earned the right to black out this December if he so chooses!

Of course, anyone who’s followed Cooper’s career knows that he’s an adrenaline chaser who thrives off dangerous and essential storytelling.

The veteran journalist got close to gunfire during a 2012 report from Gaza and has won 20 Emmy Awards in part for his reporting on Hurricane Katrina, the 2004 tsunami, and the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti.

Essentially, he’s a pro at this!

According to USA Today, “at least two deaths were reported” in Fort Pierce and “more than 3.3 million homes and businesses” were without power as of Thursday morning.

Hopefully, Florida will get a break after two destructive back-to-back hurricanes and the state can focus on speedy relief.

As for our CNN boyfriend, we’re sure that Cooper will be happy to return to his cozy CNN studio. (And we’ll be relieved to see him!)

Check out more reactions from Cooper’s Twitter X fan club below.

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