Andy Cohen launched into a spirited tirade about outgoing New York City Mayor Eric Adams during CNN’s live broadcast, leaving his co-host Anderson Cooper visibly uncomfortable.
For nine years, Cohen and Cooper have teamed up to host CNN’s New Year’s Eve special, a broadcast that often includes them sipping drinks and engaging in lighthearted banter as they celebrate the evening alongside viewers.
Shortly after the iconic ball dropped in Times Square, Cohen, with a drink in hand, began commenting on Mayor Adams’s tenure, calling it chaotic.
However, before Cohen could elaborate, Cooper interjected with a firm, “Oh no. I’m out,” signaling his reluctance to join in on the commentary.
Despite Cooper’s attempts to steer clear, Cohen persisted, saying, “I just want to say…” only to be interrupted by Cooper once more, who urged him, “Don’t,” as he tried to sidestep out of the camera’s view.
The camera, however, widened its shot to keep both hosts in the frame. Cohen, slightly slurring, mentioned something about pardons, prompting Cooper to repeat his earlier statement of wanting out of the situation.
‘I’m just saying, great, you got your pardons. Go off into the sunset,’ Cohen said. ‘We’ll fiddle with what we have, with what you’ve left us with.’
‘He can’t help himself,’ Cooper then said.
Cohen and Cooper were putting away drinks for hours and bantering live the whole night
Cohen continued to rant about Adams receiving a pardon and partying, but he did give the now-former mayor credit for reducing the rat population in New York City.
‘But I will say this, I think he maybe dented the rat population,’ Cohen said.
On X, people thought the clip was hilarious. ‘The years may change but Andy Cohen railing against the outgoing mayor of NYC stays the same,’ wrote one user.
‘Andy Cohen drunk af on CNN while Anderson Cooper tries to stay out of the frame is gold,’ another user wrote.
A third simply replied with dozens of crying laughing emojis.
A few hours before the rant, Cooper and Cohen were already engaged in playful, seemingly tipsy banter, and fans were loving it.
A little after 9pm, the pair of TV personalities joked about using the same bed.
‘Something about sleeping in your bed, it just, I don’t know,’ Cooper said before trailing off as Cohen replied, ‘just the bed frame! I didn’t give you the mattress.’
‘I thought that it made us, like, closer,’ Cohen then said, making Cooper chuckle.
A few hours before the rant, Cooper and Cohen were already engaged in playful, seemingly tipsy banter
One of the jokes Cohen made about using the same bed as Cooper made the latter visibly recoil
Cohen and Cooper have been co-hosting CNN’s New Year’s Eve special for the past nine years
‘Like better brothers,’ Cohen went on, making Cooper recoil and shake his head before saying, ‘This isn’t Heated Rivalry,’ in reference to the book and television show about a romantic relationship between two Major League Hockey players.
‘Ooh, Heated Rivalry, ooh,’ Cohen then said playfully.
‘Ilya,’ Cohen said in a jokingly longing tone while putting his hands on Cooper’s chest and back.
Cohen was referring to Ilya Rozanov, one of the characters in Heated Rivalry.
‘Of the two of us, you’re Ilya, and I’m Shane,’ Cohen then said. ‘What?!’ Cooper responded incredulously.
In the show, Shane Hollander has a secret affair with Ilya Rozanov.
Soon after the live interaction, a fan who recorded the exchange posted the clip to X, where it has received more than 700,000 views so far.
The fan speculated that the co-hosts had been drinking and wrote: ‘Them bickering about why Anderson won’t sleep in Andy’s bed before devolving into who they would be in Heated Rivalry is the CNN I want on New Years.’
In the replies, other users also celebrated the hosts letting loose live on the air.
‘Wait is that this year? They let them drink again???? That’s hands down the best news of 2025,’ said one user.
‘Oh the drinking came back last year! And the liquor is… liquoring tonight!’ the original poster replied.
‘Andy by midnight,’ another user posted along with a gif of a clearly drunk man leaning against a fence before falling backwards and spilling his drink.
The original poster also replied to that tweet, writing: ‘The size of the shots he’s pouring I wouldn’t be surprised!’
‘I would argue Andy is definitely Ilya,’ a third user wrote in reference to the Heated Rivalry jokes the co-hosts were making.
‘Love drunk Anderson Cooper,’ wrote a fourth.
