Anderson Cooper and Kristin Chenoweth on His Coming Out

Anderson Live had its season premiere Monday, with Kristin Chenoweth as the first guest. Naturally, his mid-summer coming out became a topic of discussion when gay ally and actress Chenoweth made the remark that they both had eventful summers, during the show's hiatus after its first season.

At first Cooper admitted to feeling nervous and blushing. But then he explained why it was time that he came out.

"It just got to the point where I’ve been torn for a long time between a desire as a reporter to just do my job and be known as a reporter and, at the same time, I do think visibility is important," he said. "I do think that the tide of history only moves forward when everyone is fully visible ... I didn’t want to send a message that there was anything I was ashamed about or unhappy about or not comfortable with."

Watch the full video below: