Andy Cohen has one hope for his forthcoming New Year’s Eve broadcast — to drink on live television once again.
“Hopefully, I will not be sneaking it,” Cohen, 55, told E! News on Monday, November 6. “I haven’t heard anything yet, but come on, they need to let us drink. It’s New Year’s Eve. That didn’t go well last year in terms of viewer happiness about us drinking. People really cared and I hope CNN gives the people what they want.”
Cohen has been hosting the CNN New Year’s Eve broadcast alongside close friend Anderson Cooper since 2017 when he replaced Kathy Griffin, who was fired from the news network that year.
The Bravo boss and Cooper, 56, have made headlines over the years with their debauchery — including getting rather drunk on camera. However, CNN asked Cohen and Cooper to tone down their drinking for the 2022 broadcast.
“What [CNN chairman Chris Licht] said was that he didn’t want the correspondents out there drinking, but that he wanted Anderson and I to do our thing,” Cohen told The Hollywood Reporter ahead of the live show. “So, I’m happy to do our thing. My only directive for years on CNN has been to have fun on New Year’s Eve, and that is absolutely what I plan to do.”
He later told Rolling Stone that “CNN said the correspondents will not be drinking.”
Of course, both Cohen and Cooper addressed the “elephant in the room” on New Year’s Eve.
Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen pose for a selfie during the Times Square New Year’s Eve 2023 Celebration Roy Rochlin/Getty Images
“We can’t drink, alright! We can’t drink,” Cohen quipped during the December 2022 broadcast. “But it’s fine. It’s totally cool.”
Cooper hit back, saying, “Are you going to be able to make it?”
Cohen then joked about dabbling with marijuana live on air.
“That’s the question. We will see! Do I have a pocket full of edibles? I do. Will I take them? I don’t think so,” the Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen host added. “I don’t know, it’s a long night. This is a telethon with no disease, do you understand? We’re here all night passing time.”
The no drinking rule came after Cohen made some controversial comments on air during the 2021 New Year’s Eve show — including calling out Ryan Seacrest and Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve.
“If you look behind me, you’ll see Ryan Seacrest’s group of losers performing. … I’m sorry but if you’re watching ABC, you’re watching nothing,” Cohen said at the time. “We were doused with confetti from fake Journey on ABC. If it’s not Steve Perry, it doesn’t count! You get it? It’s not Journey! It’s propaganda! It’s propaganda! It’s not Journey! It’s not Journey! No, that was not Journey. Steve Perry is Journey.”
He also slammed former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio — for the second year in a row.
“Watching Mayor de Blasio do his victory lap dance after four years of the crappiest term as the mayor of New York — the only thing that Democrats and Republicans can agree on is what a horrible mayor he has been,” he said in 2021. “So sayonara sucka.”
Initially, Cohen laughed off the drunken moment. However, he eventually “felt bad” about the comments against Seacrest and texted him an apology.
Both television hosts appeared on “On Air With Ryan Seacrest” in January, proving to fans that there’s no bad blood between them.
“I don’t like fighting with people,” Cohen said. Seacrest responded, “Well, we’re not [fighting]. We’re not.”