Anderson Cooper Caught off Guard by CNN Marijuana Bus Segment

Anderson Cooper says he was just as shocked as you were by CNN‘s segment on recreational marijuana use during the network’s New Year’s Eve broadcast on Sunday night.

In the segment, CNN reporter Randi Kaye spent her New Year’s Eve in Denver, Colorado on a “cannabus” full of marijuana enthusiasts and even spending time at a “Puff, Pass and Paint” party.

Cooper stopped by The Late Show With Stephen Colbert on Tuesday, and spoke about his night in Times Square with new co-host Andy Cohen, who replaced Kathy Griffin after she was fired by the network.

When the topic of conversation turned to Kaye’s evening, Cooper insisted he was surprised by the segment.

“The whole thing surprised me as much as anyone else. I have to tell you,” he said this through a fit of giggles, having previously pointed out that recreational marijuana use is legal in Colorado.

“Do you still have a contact high from Randi Kaye? You guys got a little teasing,” Colbert asked.

After pointing out the legality of the substance, Cooper added, “We are grown adults and she did not smoke, obviously.”

He did share details about the “Puff, Pass and Paint” party Kaye attended at the end of the night.

“She ended up at a paint party where I guess this pot bus ended up…where, for whatever reason, people riding around getting stoned all night want to end up painting in day-glo colors,” he said.

Cooper later admitted he was not surprised about marijuana now being legal in California for both medicinal and recreational purposes. On January 1, the state legalized the recreational use of marijuana.

“I think California, it makes sense. It’s California,” the 50-year-old news anchor said.

Kaye’s segment was incredibly polarizing, and drew an immediate response from many on social media.

“Can someone explain why CNN is showing people smoking weed with a bong??!! My kids are watching this for the ball drop and I had to turn it all off!” one viewer wrote. “Obviously, they have no idea what to do with the show without Kathy Griffin.”

“C’mon @CNN. You glorify a bunch of white people smoking weed but completely ignore the fact that a bunch of people of color are disproportionately in prison for smoking weed. Let’s leave the sensationalization of white people doing things other people get in trouble for in 2017,” another person complained.

To end the segment, Kaye threw back to Cooper’s co-host Cohen — who makes frequent references to his own marijuana usage on his Bravo program Watch What Happens Live — by offering up a joint.

After her segment ended, Cohen turned to Cooper and asked, “Is Randi Kaye like, a notorious stoner that I don’t know about?”

“No, not at all. She’s just very game to report and go to the front lines on things,” replied Cooper.