Anderson Cooper would rather cover the news, not be the news. But in this case, he's making headlines to put this question to bed once and for all.

"The fact is, I'm gay, always have been, always will be, and I couldn't be any more happy, comfortable with myself and proud," the CNN journalist told The Daily Beast columnist and gay rights activist Andrew Sullivan.

The CNN journalist came out after being asked by Sullivan, himself gay and a friend for more than two decades, to comment on the idea of gay public figures who declare their sexuality in a "restrained and matter-of-fact way."