Anderson Cooper Chokes Up Discussing 'Sad' Impact of School Shootings: 'The Families Never Move On'

Anderson Cooper got choked up as he spoke about the "sadness" felt by families of kids lost to gun violence on last night's 60 Minutes.

The CNN anchor, 58, showed his emotional side during an interview with CBS News correspondent Steve Hartman during the Sunday, November 23 episode while discussing the upcoming Netflix documentary All the Empty Rooms.

The film follows Hartman and photographed Lou Bopp as they visit the preserved bedrooms of children killed in school shootings across the U.S.

"It's such a reminder that while everybody else moves on from what is a story to them, the families never move on," Cooper said.

Hartman replied, "That’s part of the reason the families did agree [to be in the documentary] because it’s very frustrating for them when the country moves on. And they certainly haven’t moved on and will never move on."

"I think there’s such weight in for these parents in being the holders of the memory, that they are the only ones who remember – excuse me..." Cooper said, clearly overwhelmed.

"What are you thinking about?" Hartman asked.

"Whew," the father-of-two said letting out a breath. "I’ve been in a lot of these rooms, as well, and there’s such sadness in being the last ones left to remember everything about this child."

Notably, the journalist's brother Carter Cooper died by suicide in 1988 at the age of 23. His father, Wyatt Cooper, also died after a heart attack when Anderson was just 11 years old.

Anderson has previously spoken about the lasting effect their deaths have had on him and the grief he carries.

The reporter also broke down during an interview with Megan Falley, the wife of late acclaimed poet Andrea Gibson on the Thursday, November 20 episode of his show All There Is.

Andrea died of ovarian cancer in July at age 49.

"You use the word 'allegedly' when you talk about Andrea’s death, which I kind of love," Anderson told Megan during their virtual chat.

"It felt so weird to talk with such certainty, to say 'Andrea died' as if any of us know what that means," she shared. "We actually don’t know what it means. I don’t think. I had felt so many, sort of, signs and communications that it felt, it just didn’t feel right and it still doesn’t to say ‘Andrea died,’ so I love saying that Andrea allegedly died."

Megan continued, "To my limited understanding of a body and a spirit. Language is very important to me so I feel like if something’s not quite right, I’m going to make whatever adjustments I need."

As she explained her reasoning for using the word, Anderson became emotional and took off his glasses to wipe away tears.

"I'm crying because what you said is so unique and, I think true," he said. "Yeah, we have no idea what this means."