January 2, 2022
Watch: Did You Catch Andy Cohen's Drunken NYE's Rants?
READ TIME: 3 MIN.
At what point on CNN's New Year's Eve coverage did Andy Cohen become too loaded for prime time? Was it when he called out outgoing New York City mayor Bill DeBlasio? Or when he was slamming Ryan Seacrest's rival broadcast happening nearby? Or when he was staring out at the camera in his best impression of someone drunk trying to act sober and failing miserably?
After the show, Cohen admitted on IG of being a "hair over-served," which was a hair of an understatement considering that at the end of the show at 12:30 he was glaring at the camera appearing like the friend at the bar whom you want to get into an Uber ASAP.
Perhaps Vanity Fair's Richard Dawson put it best when he tweeted:
And one writer alluded to a meme from the current season of "And Just Like That" involving Miranda's alcohol problems by saying he just sent Cohen a copy of a book that she drunk mailed herself. The book? "Quick Like a Woman. The Radical Choice Not to Drink in a Culture Obsessed with Alcohol."
Overall, though, there hasn't been much pushback. "Cohen received plenty of positive feedback for keeping people entertained on New Year's Eve, and many found him hilarious. There is something special in the dynamic between Cohen and Cooper, and many social media users, especially on Reddit, couldn't get enough," writes the website Heavy.
But some thought Cohen deserves some pushback. One user tweeted: "Embarrassing. You should be fired! Anyone else acting so carelessly in an employment situation would lose their job. And to think your (sic) a parent!!!"
Another wrote: "When is Andy Cohen going to be sent to rehab and quietly fired?"
While another pointed out: "If I had ever gotten drunk like that at a sales meeting (not on TV), I would've been fired. The few people who did get drunk at company meetings weren't around long."
Perhaps the high point of the Cohen/Anderson pairing came early on when the pair toasted the late Betty White, who passed away earlier in the day. "We're going to raise our first shot of tequila in honor of Betty White!" Cohen as he readied the drinks. "This is in honor of Betty White, a life well-lived. 99 years!" Cohen said before the pair toasted to her legacy.
It was later – after many shots and drinks – that Cohen went into attack mode. When Cohen saw NYC's departing mayor Bill DeBlasio dancing with his wife, author Chirlane McCray, right after midnight, he went on a tirade.
"Watching Mayor de Blasio do his victory lap dance after four years of the crappiest term as the mayor of New York [City]," People magazine reports. "As he spoke, Cooper attempted to interject with 'don't go on a rant' and 'this is how you want to start the new year?'
"But Cohen persisted. 'The only thing Democrats and Republicans can agree on is what a horrible mayor he has been,' he said. 'So, sayonara, sucka!'"
A shocked Cooper just said "Wow" twice.
Cohen continued: "2022! It's a new year! 'Cause guess what? I have a feeling I'm going to be standing right here next year, and you know who I'm not going to be looking at dancing as the city comes apart? You!"
The rant occurred moments after , former NYPD officer, state senator and Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams was sworn in as the 110th mayor of�New York City.�
A couple times throughout the show, Cohen also called out some of the competition -- namely, Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest.
At one point around 11:40pm ET, the area behind the two hosts started to fill with smoke following a performance on Seacrest's live show. Cohen was not thrilled.
"There's smoke coming from Ryan Seacrest's group of losers that are performing behind us," he cracked. "If you've been watching ABC tonight, you've seen nothing. I'm sorry."
About 7 minutes later, Journey performed on the ABC show -- and, again, Cohen wasn't impressed.
"Speaking of Journey, I just got doused with confetti by the fake Journey appearing on ABC," he said of the Arnel Pineda-fronted band. "If it's not Steve Perry, it doesn't count! It's not Journey! It's propaganda! That was not Journey. Steve Perry is journey."
By this point, it was apparent that many in the country were agreeing with a Twitter user who wrote:
"I don't enjoy watching drunk people. How is that entertaining?"