Anderson Cooper parties with his boyfriend and Bravo's Andy Cohen at a Carnival after-party in Rio - but refuses to take part in the glitzy parade because 'my bosses are watching'

Anderson Cooper has been spotted partying in Rio de Janeiro with his boyfriend Ben Maisani, Bravo host Andy Cohen and a slew of new friends at events celebrating the city's annual Carnival.
Twitter was ablaze on Saturday night with news that the CNN anchor was watching the Champions Parade at the Sambadrom, which came four days after the main part of the Carnival.
'I arrived in Rio yesterday,' he told Brazilian reporters as he attended the event as a guest of beer company Devassa. 'I watched the Carnival once in Manaus. This event is known worldwide.'
But when asked if he would walk in the parade, known for its scantily-clad samba dancers and huge, colourful floats, he said no because 'my business is watching'.

 

Party time: Anderson Cooper, right, has been enjoying the post-Carnival activities in Rio with boyfriend Ben Maisani and Bravo's Andy Cohen, second right, as guests of beer company Devassa

Cooper, who is well known in Brazil, stopped for pictures with fans who promptly uploaded them to social networking websites.
At the event on Saturday, he and Cohen were seen wearing bright yellow t-shirts for beer company Devassa, which translates as 'lewd' and debauched', Page Sixreported.

'Anderson did not know anything about the sponsor, and given that the logo is a bikini-clad woman, it’s safe to say this wasn’t an endorsement,' a rep for Anderson told the page.
He partied with his boyfriend, nightclub owner Ben Maisani, with whom he lives with in New York, and Andy Cohen, the openly-gay host of Watch What Happens Live.

 

 

Vacation: Fans uploaded images of themselves with Cooper as he visited Rio de Janeiro at the weekend

 

Fan: Twitter was ablaze on Saturday night with news that he was watching the Champions Parade

 

Trip: He was also joined by his boyfriend Ben Maisani on the trip. They are pictured together last year

The star has been candid with family and friends about his sexuality since high school, but did not comment publicly on it until last summer, via an email he sent to a journalist friend at The Daily Beast.
'The fact is, I'm gay, always have been, always will be, and I couldn't be more happy,' he wrote.
The Carnival is often cited as one of the best parties in the world - with an explosion of music and colour, hoards of scantily clad beauty queens and gyrating samba dancers.
At the event, which was held last week, thousands of participants clad in elaborate costumes made their way to Rio's 72,500-seat open-air Sambodrome.

 

'Best party in the world': A reveler of Beija-Flor samba school performs during the Carnival in Rio

 

Show: Cooper told reporters that he would not take part in the parade as his 'business was watching'

 

The competition, which is between 12 elite samba groups, dazzles more than a billion spectators across the world but it takes nearly a year and hundreds of workers to pull it off.
Cooper enjoyed some relaxation time days at the post-Carnival party after network sources revealed Cooper's 10pm show is set to be slashed by CNN chief Jeff Zucker to make room for a big new hire.
The TV favourite, 45, hosts Anderson Cooper 360° at 8pm every weekday and the show is repeated at 10pm, with Brit Piers Morgan sandwiched in between.
However, as part of a huge raft of changes at the network, Zucker plans to axe the 10pm segment, paving the way for a new star to anchor another show.