Forget watching the ball drop, the real New Year’s Eve event everyone is waiting for is Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper getting sloppy drunk on-air.
However, CNN, which broadcasts the annual New Year’s Eve Live special starring the two, has forced the pair to sober up.
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Andy and Anderson rang in 2023 dry, after former CNN chairman and CEO Chris Licht prohibited the hosts from drinking during the broadcast following Andy’s drunken antics the year before.
But Chris is now gone, and the hosts are hoping to booze it up once more.
Last month, Andy told E! news he’s keeping the faith.
“Come on, they need to let us drink. It’s New Year’s Eve” the Watch What Happens Live host said, noting that a sober show is no fun.
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“That didn’t go well last year in terms of viewer happiness about us drinking. People really cared and I hope CNN gives the people what they want.”
What they want is more memorable moments like these.
ANDY VS. RYAN
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Andy, 55, and Anderson, 56, have hosted New Year’s Eve Live on CNN since 2017.
And each year, Andy downs shots, and then takes shots at rival Ryan Seacrest, the longtime face of Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve.
The feud peaked when the duo shaded Ryan as “fake” while ringing in 2021 in New York’s famous Times Square.
As the combo counted down the final moments of 2020, Andy jokingly promised to expose anyone who dared not sing live during the televised pre-concert event.
“This year, there’s no noise,” he announced.
“We’re right near the stage, right here for Seacrest and we will definitely be able to tell who’s lip-syncing and who’s not.
“We’re going to tell you guys what’s really going on, that I will tell you.”
Anderson laughed and added: “You can turn to the other things from time to time but then come back to us because there’s really nothing going on.”
The Watch What Happens Live personally then bashed Ryan’s show.
“We will tell you what’s really going on. Everything else is glossy and fake,” he slammed.
“We’ll give it to you straight here, as straight as we can.”
ROUND TWO
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The feud raged on the next year when Andy was slammed for his shocking drunken broadcast that culminated in him again going after Ryan.
While appearing to slur his speech, Andy attacked Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and Mayor Bill de Blasio, but he saved the real dynamite for Seacrest.
Just before the ball dropped in Times Square, Andy told Anderson: “If you look behind me, you’ll see Ryan Seacrest’s group of losers performing.”
He added: “I’m sorry but if you’re watching ABC, you’re watching nothing.”
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The next morning, Andy posted to social media explaining that he was “over-served.”
SEACREST SHADE
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That slam led to last year’s dry event, and Ryan took the opening to shade his rival New Year’s Eve hosts over their live-TV antics.
Ryan chatted with EW about the network’s decision, telling the outlet that he supports the move.
“I don’t advocate drinking when one is on the air,” he said.
“I don’t know how that started as a tradition but it’s probably a good idea [to scale back].”
Ryan then got a little shady, saying of the CNN broadcast: “There’s some pretty respectable people or at least one, right?”
He added: “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.”
SOBERING TRUTH
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As 2022 came to a close, Andy and Anderson addressed the feud – and its aftermath.
Andy reluctantly revealed, “We can’t drink,” before adding, “But it’s fine.”
Then he shared his new plan to enjoy the night.
“Do I have a pocket full of edibles? I do! Will I take them? I don’t think so,” he said.
“I don’t know, it’s a long night.”
But that wasn’t good enough for fans, who took to Twitter to accuse Ryan of ending the tradition.
“Screw Ryan Seacrest for being a crybaby and ruining NYE on CNN. I demand to see Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper downing tequila,” a fan angrily tweeted.
FIST FIGHT
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But even without alcohol, Andy still managed to threaten Ryan to brawl “with his fists” on live TV.
During a lighthearted segment with Jack Black, the Jumanji star brought up the feud.
That riled Andy up, and he responded: “We’re settling it tonight, at midnight on the main stage.”
The Real Housewives producer bawled up his fists and asked: “Have you ever seen a Jewish man fight with his hands.”
Viewers were shocked by what they saw and rushed to X to discuss Andy’s call out.
One fan tweeted: “I can’t believe I just witnessed Andy Cohen tell Jack Black that he’s gonna beat up Ryan Seacrest.”
Another person wrote: “The beef going down between Seacrest and Andy #CNNYE.”
While a third viewer tweeted: “Andy Cohen is going to settle his beef with Ryan Seacrest at midnight.”
Midnight came and went, and both parties remained civil.
But there’s always this year…
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