Blame it on the booze. Andy Cohen doesn’t think his drunken New Year’s Eve shenanigans are something to be ashamed about — despite the mixed reactions from viewers.
The 53-year-old Bravo personality “had a blast” while cohosting CNN’s New Year’s Eve Live with pal Anderson Cooper, he said during the Tuesday, January 4, episode of SiriusXM’s The Howard Stern Show.
“Listen, I will not be shamed for having fun on New Year’s Eve,” Cohen asserted. “That’s why I’m there. That’s why they bring me there.”
Since 2017, the Most Talkative author and Cooper, 54, have celebrated the new year in New York City’s Times Square. During the Friday, December 31, broadcast, the Missouri native ranted about outgoing NYC mayor Bill de Blasio, slammed Mark Zuckerberg and poked fun at competitor Ryan Seacrest‘s simultaneous NYE event. His tipsy tirades quickly went viral — but Cohen has few regrets.
“It’s a four and a half hour show. The booze started kicking in around 11:30 [p.m.]. So everyone’s focusing on kind of the last 45 minutes or hour we were on the air,” he told Howard Stern. “It kicked into high gear with 45 minutes left. We’d done 15 interviews before that point. And I won’t be shamed for it.”
The Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen host continued: “I had a blast. Anderson had a blast. We left and we were like, ‘That was fun! What a fun New Year’s Eve.’ There will be no apologies for drinking on New Year’s Eve. None. The only direction I get every year from [CNN president] Jeff Zucker is, ‘Have fun.’ That is my job.”
One day prior, the Superficial writer confessed that there was only one moment he wished he could take back from the live show.
“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 noted during the Monday, January 3, episode of his Andy Cohen Live radio show. “And I really regret saying that, and I was just stupid and drunk and feeling it.”
Despite his wild remarks, there’s no bad blood between the producer and his pal Kelly Ripa, who works with Seacrest, 47, on Live With Kelly and Ryan.
“She is not upset with me,” Cohen said on The Howard Stern Show. “As I was going on my rant about Journey, I did wind up kind of starting to throw ABC under the bus. And that is my only regret from the night. … I was, as they say, in my cups and I was kind of enjoying the rant. I was like, ‘Wow, it’s really fun being on CNN and just ranting like a nutty guy.’ So I kept going.”
Cohen, who previously joked on social media about being “a bit overserved” on NYE night, also noted that he texted the American Idol host after the mishap.
Following the shocking display, rumors swirled that Cohen might not return for the 2022 broadcast. However, the network denied the stories in a statement, adding, “Andy said something he shouldn’t have on live TV. We’ve addressed it with him and look forward to having him back again next year.”