CNN won't boot Andy Cohen from New Year's Eve show over 'stupid and drunk' comments

Andy Cohen won't be following in Kathy Griffin's footsteps by getting booted from a CNN gig.

The network confirmed on Tuesday that Cohen "will be back to co-host" its annual New Year's Eve broadcast with Anderson Cooper, though the network acknowledged he "said something he shouldn't have on live TV" this year, the Los Angeles Times reports.

While hosting CNN's New Year's Eve show, Cohen fired off a rant against outgoing New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D), declaring him a "horrible mayor" and proclaiming, "Sayonara, sucka!" He also slammed ABC's competing broadcast hosted by Ryan Seacrest by at one point disparaging Seacrest's "group of losers that are performing behind us." After the show, Cohen expressed regret for the latter comment.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

"The only thing that I regret saying, the only thing is that I slammed the ABC broadcast and I really like Ryan Seacrest, and he is a great guy, and I really regret saying that," Cohen said, Deadline reports. "I was just stupid and drunk and feeling it."

Cohen didn't, however, express regret for the rant against de Blasio, who he also slammed on the broadcast the year before. He tweeted on New Year's Day, "Um, I was a bit overserved last night."

A report from Radar Online claimed that Cohen would not be invited back to co-host. But CNN has shot that down, saying in its new statement that "we've addressed" the comments with Cohen and "look forward to having him back again next year."