🎙️ Voice is AI-generated. Inconsistencies may occur.
Ryan Seacrest agrees with CNN's plan to restrict hosts from drinking alcohol on air, but Andy Cohen looks set to ignore the new rule.
Over the past few years, Cohen and his longtime friend and colleague Anderson Cooper have become known for drinking copious amounts of alcohol while hosting New Year's Eve Live on CNN. This has led to some hilarious but often controversial moments, with Cohen speaking his mind.
In November, new CNN chief Chris Licht said that hosts will sober up on the New Year's Eve broadcast, but Cohen replied at the time that he and Cooper plan to "party harder."
Seacrest, the longtime TV presenter and host of ABC's Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve, disagrees with Cohen's approach. "I don't advocate drinking when one is on the air. I don't know how that started as a tradition, but it's probably a good idea [to scale back], CNN," he told Entertainment Weekly.
Referencing the CNN show, he said about Cooper and Cohen's roles on air: "There's some pretty respectable people or at least one, right? I think there's a serious journalist and then a friend of mine who has a lot of fun, but it's probably a good idea."
Cohen took over hosting duties from Kathy Griffin in 2017 and, since then, has had a number of memorable New Year's Eve moments alongside his pal Cooper.
Andy Cohen's Umbrella Debacle - 2018
Cohen showed his outspoken side during the broadcast on his second year hosting the New Year's Eve Live show when he complained about the treatment of his team.
During the broadcast, the company behind the venue, the Times Square Alliance, asked Cohen to take down his umbrella so that it wouldn't obstruct the shots of other media outlets sharing the space.
On air, Cohen complained they had been targeted and he pointed out that other outlets were keeping their umbrellas up. Cohen said the Alliance threatened to pull CNN's credentials for the following year.
The Times Square Alliance responded to Cohen's accusations and explained the situation from its point of view. The company denied making any threats to pull credentials and said that the other outlets that Cohen noted had their own spaces that were not shared.
Rant About Journey - 2021
As Cohen said goodbye to 2021 and ushered in 2022 for CNN, classic rock band Journey performed, but there was a key component missing in Cohen's eyes.
"I just got dowsed in confetti by the fake Journey," Cohen said as he had silver streamers around his neck. "If it's not Steve Perry, it doesn't count," Cohen shouted, pointing out that the former front man was no longer in the band.
Co-host Anderson Cooper tried to calm the situation, but Cohen continued his rant. "You get it? It's not Journey. It's propaganda," Cohen repeated himself a number of times, "Steve Perry is Journey."
Slamming Ryan Seacrest On-Air - 2021
Cohen has never shied away from sharing his feelings during his New Year's Eve coverage, but this is one of the only occasions he says that he regrets.
After he had ranted about Journey, Cohen told the viewers at home about what was going on behind him. "There's a bunch of smoke coming from Ryan Seacrest's group of losers that are performing behind us." At the time, Cohen made headlines after it was suggested he'd "trashed" Seacrest.
"The only thing that I regret saying, is that I slammed the ABC broadcast and I really like Ryan Seacrest, and he's a great guy," Cohen said on his XFM radio show in early 2022. He added, "I was just stupid and drunk and feeling it."
Continued Bashing of Bill de Blasio - Multiple Years
From 2020 onwards, Cohen has been a vocal critic of former New York City mayor Bill de Blasio.
The coverage showed de Blasio dancing with his wife, but when the camera cut back to Cohen, he shouted, "Do something with this city!" Cohen had been doing tequila shots on camera, which has become a staple of the coverage now. "Honestly, get it together," Cohen added.
The following New Year's Eve Live show in 2021, Cohen continued his tirade against the mayor and celebrated his departure.
"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. So sayonara sucker," Cohen said shortly after midnight.
Later in 2021, in multiple interviews, Cohen stated he didn't remember saying "sayonara sucker" afterwards. On Late Night With Seth Meyers, Cohen said he didn't regret the rant, though. "Has there ever been a safer target than trashing Mayor de Blasio?" Cohen added. "I do regret saying he'd been mayor for four years because it'd been a very long eight years, and I hate making an error."
Cohen and Cooper will return to host the 2022 New Year's Eve Live on CNN on Saturday, December 31.
About the writer
Jamie Burton is a Newsweek Senior TV and Film Reporter (Interviews) based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on ... Read more