CNN Hosts Resume On-Air Drinking During New Year's Eve Show

Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen toast with tequila shots, a year after alcohol ban.

CNN hosts Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen resumed their tradition of drinking on air during the network's New Year's Eve show, a year after a ban on alcohol was imposed.
The ban was enforced by CNN's former CEO, Chris Licht, after Cohen's drunken antics during the 2021 broadcast, which included insults aimed at Ryan Seacrest and then-New York Mayor Bill de Blasio.
Cohen had been vocal in recent months about his desire for the ban to be lifted, arguing that viewers enjoyed the hosts' on-air drinking.
During the 2024 broadcast, Cohen and Cooper took shots of tequila at the top of every hour, a tradition they had maintained for most of their seven years hosting the show together.
Despite the return of alcohol, both hosts emphasized the importance of drinking responsibly.