Andy Cohen Blasts Reports Citing CNN Staff as ‘Embarrassed’

Andy Cohen got many people talking after he hosted CNN’s New Year’s Eve Live special with Anderson Cooper. During the program, Cohen, who had been consuming several drinks, ranted against a number of figures including Mark Zuckerberg, Ryan Seacrest, and former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, per Buzzfeed. A day after the event, it was reported that CNN staffers were supposedly “embarrassed” by his actions during the broadcast. Now, Cohen is speaking out against those reports by saying that they were fabricated. 

Cohen appeared on The Howard Stern Show on Tuesday and one of the main topics of conversation was, of course, the New Year’s Eve show. Howard Stern asked the Watch What Happens Live host if he had seen the reports that CNN staffers were “angry” about his behavior. Cohen then criticized those reports and said that “unnamed sources” were responsible for “making up” the claims. He continued, “Listen, I will not be shamed for having fun on New Year’s Eve. That’s why I’m there. That’s why they bring me there.”

Cohen went on to say that the most viral aspect of the night, in which he criticized outgoing NYC Mayor de Blasio, occurred toward the end of the broadcast. At that time, he had been drinking for hours at that point. The Bravo personality explained, “It’s a four-and-a-half-hour show. The booze started kicking in at around 11:30, so everyone is focusing on kind of the last 45 minutes or hour that we were on the air.” By the end of the night, Cohen had kicked things into “high gear” and, thus, a viral moment ensued. Even though he has faced some criticism for his New Year’s Eve appearance, he’s not going to let it get him down. 

“I won’t be shamed for it! I had a blast! Anderson had a blast! We left and we were like, ‘That was fun, what a fun New Year’s Eve,’” Cohen continued. “No apologies for my drinking on New Year’s Eve. None.” While he isn’t going to apologize for his behavior, he did say on his SiriusXM that his only regret was when he “slammed the ABC broadcast” and, consequently, Seacrest. He opened up about that moment by saying, “And I really regret saying that, and I was just stupid and drunk and feeling it. And it was, I was continuing the Journey rant and I just kept talking and I shouldn’t have, and I felt bad about that. So that is the only thing. It’s the only thing.”