Plot Synopsis

THE WHOLE STORY WITH ANDERSON COOPER is a one-hour recurring weekly series, hosted by Anderson Cooper, that showcases character-driven stories, special interviews, profiles, and investigative deep dives featuring reporting from CNN's anchors and correspondents.

In the series opener, "The Trek: A Migrant Trail to America," CNN's Chief International Security Correspondent Nick Paton Walsh travels with a group of migrants as they make the arduous trek on foot through Central and South America. The journey through the Darien Gap is a perilous jungle crossing between Colombia and Panama that many migrants must face as they head north to seek asylum in the United States. Over five harrowing days, Paton Walsh hikes the full 66-mile roadless route, documenting the heroism of everyday people, milked for cash by drug cartels and unwanted by any country, as they battle the dense rainforest in search of a better life. In this episode, Paton Walsh hears the heartbreaking stories of his companions on the passage, from unaccompanied children, Venezuelan university students whose classmates have been killed, and a mother carrying her disabled daughter desperate for the medicine to treat her epileptic convulsions. As they traverse the mud-packed mountain slopes and treacherously opaque riverbeds, the dangerous trek reveals the enduring humanity of those who embark on this expedition together, sharing their already limited resources with the injured and helping the elderly carry heavy cargo.
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Season 3 of THE WHOLE STORY WITH ANDERSON COOPER premiered on Sunday, January 5, 2025 at 8pm ET/PT on CNN. In the season opener, "K-Pop: A Star Is Made," K-Pop bands, popular worldwide, originate from South Korea and are uniquely molded in the music industry; Kyung Lah explores the training of seven aspiring stars, just one week before their audition for a premiere idol group.