Bravo Andy Cohen will not hold back on New Year's Eve.
Andy Cohen spoke out about an article that addressed his recurring hosting gig for CNN’s annual New Year’s Eve broadcast, and he made a promise to fans.
In January 2022, the “Watch What Happens Live” host made headlines following his drunken antics on the news network’s live New Year’s Eve show alongside co-host Anderson Cooper. The duo downed drinks throughout the evening, and after ringing in the New Year, Cohen blasted outgoing mayor Bill de Blasio, calling him the “crappiest” mayor in New York City history.
This, after he dissed rival New Year’s Eve show, ABC’s long-running “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” with Ryan Seacrest.
“There’s smoke coming from Ryan Seacrest’s group of losers that are performing behind us,” Cohen cracked during the live CNN broadcast on December 231, 2021. “I mean with all due, if you’ve been watching ABC tonight, you’ve seen nothing. I’m sorry, it’s true.”
At the time, some viewers called for Cohen to be fired from the CNN show due to his wild behavior. But Cohen has confirmed that not only will he be back, but he’ll be badder than ever.
Andy Cohen Vowed to Party Harder Than Ever This New Year’s Eve
During last year’s New Year’s Eve show, Cohen and Cooper drank De Nada tequila and Japanese shochu brand Mujen throughout the broadcast, according to BravoTV.com.
But on the November 16, 2022 episode of “Watch What Happens Live,” Cohen awarded the “Jackhole of the Day” title to a Variety article titled “CNN Plans to Sober Up Boozy New Year’s Eve Coverage.”
Cohen acknowledged that the article stated that he and Cooper will still be allowed to drink while hosting the broadcast. But elsewhere in the story, it noted that CNN CEO Chris Licht met with staffers to say that “on-camera drinking eroded the credibility of CNN personnel and damaged the ‘respectability’ they may enjoy among viewers.” The article stated that other anchors and correspondents will not be allowed to drink during the broadcast.
On WWHL, Cohen made it clear that he will drink as much ever as he co-hosts the gig, and he asked the cameras to zoom in on him as he relayed his message.
“I just want you to know Anderson and I are going to party harder than we have ever partied before on New Year’s Eve!” he screamed. “Do you understand me?!”
Cohen doubled down on his pledge while speaking with The Hollywood Reporter a few days later. “I’m not [kidding],” he said when asked if he really pans to party harder. “ What [Chris Licht] said was that he didn’t want the correspondents out there drinking, but that he wanted Anderson [Cooper] and I to do our thing. 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. “
Andy Cohen Had One Regret From New Year’s Eve 2022
Following the controversy over Cohen’s hosting behavior in early 2022, a spokesperson told BuzzFeed News, “We can confirm that Andy Cohen will be back to co-host NYE on CNN next year.”
While his status on the annual show was never in real jeopardy, Cohen did have one regret. On his Sirius XM show, “Radio Andy,” he admitted that he was sorry about what he said about Seacrest. The “American Idol” host took over Dick Clark’s longtime role on ABC’s New Year’s Eve show in 2005 after Clark suffered a stroke, per The Hollywood Reporter. 2022 marked the 50th anniversary of the iconic “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” broadcast.
“The only thing that I regret saying, the only thing is that I slammed the ABC broadcast, and I really like Ryan Seacrest, and he’s a great guy,” Cohen said on “Radio Andy” in January 2022. “And I really regret saying that, and I was just stupid and drunk and feeling it.”
Cohen told the Hollywood Reporter that he meant no disrespect to Seacrest and that his rant about the ABC NYE show was really about the musical guest, the rock band Journey, and its current lineup. “It was an offhanded comment about nothing that really had to do with [Seacrest],” Cohen explained. “It was about Journey. I was really going after the current iteration of Journey. Because I’m a big Steve Perry fan. … And then I wound up kind of inadvertently, you know, throwing the ABC broadcast under the bus. But it was really about Journey. “
While he was sorry for what he said about Seacrest’s show, Cohen didn’t apologize for getting drunk. The morning after his wild night, he posted to Instagram to tell fans, “I was a hair over-served last night, but man did I have fun! I hope you did too. Happy New Year everybody.”
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WATCH: Andy Cohen Makes Bold Promise for New Year’s Eve