“WOW! This is my son, Benjamin Allen Cohen,” he captioned the post. “He is 9 lbs 2 ounces !! 20 inches !! Born at 6:35 pm, PT He is named after my grandfather Ben Allen. I’m in love. And speechless. And eternally grateful to an incredible surrogate. And I’m a dad. Wow.”
Related: TV personality Andy Cohen expecting first child via surrogate
Cohen and the newborn are cover stars of the latest issue of People magazine.
“I grew up reading @People cover to cover, at a time when being gay meant there was no way to have a family,” Cohen said in an Instagram post revealing the cover. “Now I’m honored to be the first gay dad featured on the magazine’s cover.”
In addition to the photo shoot, Cohen spoke to People about his experience, including seeing the birth of his son.
“I was in the delivery room. I had been hoping that he would have a full head of hair, and he really overdelivered,” Cohen said. “That was the first thing you see, the head of hair coming out. And I was amazed.”
Related: Andy Cohen announces son Benjamin Allen’s birth
Cohen said he found the surrogate through an organization that helps people find an egg donor and a woman to carry a child. The 50-year-old said
“I worked with an incredible surrogate,” he said. “She was in California. Surrogacy is illegal in so many states, including New York. I don’t understand why. It’s a voluntary process, obviously. My surrogate just viewed it as, she was giving me the ultimate gift. She gave me life. So I’ll be forever indebted to her.”
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