CNN Sobering Up For NYE

December 29, 2022 – Last month, CNN announced that they would be cutting back the on-air drinking by their NYE hosts. This follows episodes of Don Lemon doing shots and Andy Cohen calling NYE competitors like Ryan Seacrest “a group of losers.”

Cohen initially rebuffed the idea of scaling back the drinking:

“My only direction is to have fun. That’s what I plan to do and I’m happy to cocktail it up. I think people enjoy seeing me feed Anderson (Cooper) shots and that’s on the menu.”

Cohen now seems to be walking it back:

“CNN said the correspondents will not be drinking. Anderson and I will be the people partying on CNN [though] we will be partying responsibly. My job is to take Anderson out of his comfort zone [and] my job is to be a party ringleader for everyone watching us on New Year’s Eve. And that is what I will continue to do.”

Cohen continued: “We aren’t drinking, but we’re going to have a BLAST.”

Meanwhile, Ryan Seacrest said, “I don’t advocate drinking when one is on the air. I don’t know how that started as a tradition but it’s probably a good idea [to scale back], CNN.”

Later Seacrest joked, “I might send them some Casa Dragones Tequila just to tempt them while they’re on the air.”