The saga continues. Andy Cohen surprised viewers when he chose to ring in the end of 2021 by taking several shots before calling out Ryan Seacrest while cameras were rolling.
Cohen previously had nothing but praise for Seacrest after the former E! News host joined his friend Kelly Ripa on the Live With Kelly show. After the Hope & Faith alum announced Seacrest as her first choice to replace Michael Strahan, Cohen showed his support for the new talk show pair.
“I think it’s good because he’s an adult. He’s a big star and he’s a big name. So I think it take a lot of the burden off of her, because she’s been doing this alone for the last year,” the Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen host explained to Entertainment Weekly in May 2017. “It’s equal now — which is good.”
The On Air with Ryan Seacrest radio host went on to make several appearances on Cohen’s late-night talk show before the Riverdale guest star’s memorable New Year’s Eve Live hosting gig.
During the livestream, Cohen addressed his thoughts on Mayor de Blasio after taking several shots with cohost Anderson Cooper.
“Watching Mayor de Blasio do his victory-lap dance after four years of the crappiest term as the mayor of New York — the only thing that Democrats and Republicans can agree on is what a horrible mayor he has been,” he yelled as Cooper tried to stop him in December 2021. “So, sayonara, sucka! 2022! It’s a new year because guess what? I have a feeling I’m gonna 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!”
After viewers questioned why Cohen later decided to refer to Seacrest as a “loser,” the Real Housewives producer clarified the situation.
“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,” he said on SiriusXM’s The Howard Stern Show at the time. “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. 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.”
Although Cohen didn’t intend to call out Seacrest, he noted that he had “a blast” hosting the show, adding, “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.”
After speculation emerged about the Bravo personality being removed from the New Year’s Eve hosting roster, the network released a statement, saying, “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.”
Scroll down for everything we know about Cohen and Seacrest’s relationship over the years: