Yahoo Finance Andy Cohen Says He 'Won't Be Shamed' for Drinking During New Year's Eve Broadcast: 'I Had a Blast'
Andy Cohen is defending his alcohol-fueled New Year's Eve broadcast on CNN.
Last Friday, Cohen, 53, hosted the network's New Year's Eve Live from New York's Times Square alongside Anderson Cooper. The Bravo producer has since admitted to being "overserved," but he recently told Howard Stern that he will make no apologies for his drinking.
"Listen, I will not be shamed for having fun on New Year's Eve," he said on The Howard Stern Show Wednesday. "That's why I'm there, that's why they bring me there. It's a four-and-a-half-hour show, the booze started kicking in around 11:30 so everyone's focusing on the last 45 minutes or hour that we were on the air — I kicked into high gear with 45 minutes left so we had done 15 interviews before that point."
Cohen continued, "I won't be shamed for it, I had a blast, Anderson has a blast. We left and we were like 'That was fun, what a fun New Year's Eve.' No apologies for my drinking on New Year's Eve, none."
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He went on to say that CNN president Jeff Zucker directed him to "have fun" on the show. "There you go, that is my job," Cohen said.
"It was not only a middling year, but it ended in a car crash of COVID and Betty White dying on the day of New Year's Eve, who everyone loved, so it was like, we got to kick it into gear. We got to have fun, a lot of people are home spending their evenings with us," the Watch What Happens Live host added.
RELATED VIDEO: CNN Says Andy Cohen Will Return for Next Year's NYE Special After He 'Said Something He Shouldn't Have'
Cohen did repeat his previous statement that his "only regret" from the evening was his jab at Ryan Seacrest and his ABC broadcast, Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve. (Cohen called ABC's performers a "group of losers" while ranting about how the band Journey isn't the same without original lead singer Steve Perry).
RELATED: Andy Cohen's 'Only' Regret on New Year's Eve Was Calling Out Ryan Seacrest: 'Stupid and Drunk'
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"I really like Ryan Seacrest, he's a really nice guy and 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 just ranting like a nutty guy, this is fun' so I kept going, and that I felt bad about and I texted Ryan the next morning," he told Stern.
On Monday, CNN confirmed that Cohen will be returning to co-host its special in December 2022.
"Andy said something he shouldn't have on live TV," a spokeswoman for the network said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE. "We've addressed it with him and look forward to having him back again next year."
