Cooper honored at star-studded benefit for Haiti relief
LOS ANGELES — When Anderson Cooper first met Sean Penn after the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, the CNN anchor was initially skeptical of the actor’s intentions to help the recovery efforts in the ravaged country.
In time, Penn won Cooper over.
“I’m not sure how Sean got to Port-au-Prince, Haiti. It certainly was not easy. I’m not sure how much of a plan he had when he got there. But he didn’t just come by himself, he came with a team,” Cooper said Saturday night in front of a star-studded crowd at Penn’s ninth annual benefit for the J/P Haitian Relief Organization.
The fundraiser raised $3.5 million at the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles. Some individual plates cost $10,000 at most, while tables ranged up to $100,000.
Even though Cooper was being honored, he heaped praise on Penn and his nonprofit.
“Sean came with supplies; he stayed long after most of us had moved on,” Cooper added. “Sean stayed, listened and he learned. JP HRO became an organization born of disaster, but which is focused on addressing the poverty that existed there for far too long.”
Julia Roberts paid homage to Cooper before presenting him with the award. She said he showed bravery as a journalist in matters of crisis, as the event focused on his efforts after the earthquake left thousands of Haitians homeless and without basic resources almost a decade ago.
“His work was just not limited in journalism,” Roberts said. “In Haiti, he was a humanitarian and often first responder, a pioneer in a time of extreme uncertainty. Anderson Cooper is a good man, a brave man. He gives an honest portrayal.”
Larry David, Casey Affleck, Sarah Silverman, Jimmy Kimmel, Ben Stiller and Garcelle Beauvais were among the guests at the gala dinner. Musical performances were by Macy Gray, Billie Eilish and Linda Perry.