“You brought us back for another year,” Andy Cohen crowed from Times Square at the start of CNN’s New Year’s Eve coverage. But “there are some stipulations this year, some fine print.”
Cohen and Cooper were famous for drinking heavily during their previous stints at the traditional Times Square countdown. Cohen, in particular, became notorious for his alcohol-fueled diatribes, which brought down New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and TV personality Ryan Seacrest last year. As a result, CNN decided that drinking was off on that year’s live broadcast.
The drinking ban was mentioned at the top.
“We can’t drink,” said Cohen, emphasizing that with a slight jump. “But that’s okay.” Cooper asked if Cohen could “make it” through the show. His partner quipped, “Do I have a bag of edibles? I do not know. This is a long night. This is a telethon without a disease.”
Still, the duo vowed to go ahead and they found a workaround — they’ll still toast their audience on the hour, but it will be alcohol-free.
What the duo promised was a “mystery shot.” With their eyes closed, the audience can see what they are drinking and toast with it. The first shot was “pickle juice,” which made both of them hard to swallow.
Cohen suspected the juice was tomato juice, which he confessed he hates. Cooper claimed he’s never eaten a pickle.
Both hosts chased the mystery shot with juice boxes. “I prefer tequila,” Cohen said.
There are four more mysterious recordings to be made during the night