Celebrating the new year on the small screen usually involves celebrities stepping up to host, musical guests, and the annual ball dropping in New York City. In recent years, however, December 31 celebrations on television have involved a mini "feud" between Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve's Ryan Seacrest and CNN New Year's Eve's Andy Cohen. The Bravo host, who teamed up with Anderson Cooper to get the giggles over John Mayer's cat bar appearance, called out Seacrest in the final hours of 2023 as the latest development, so it's time to look back at how the back-and-forth started years ago.
New Year's Eve 2021
Back in 2021, Ryan Seacrest was hosting ABC's New Year's countdown to 2022 while Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper were leading the festivities for CNN, and one noticeable difference was that Cohen and Cooper were drinking during the broadcast. The Bravo personality commented on what was going on over in the ABC camp at the time, saying on-air:
Ryan Seacrest's group of losers that are performing behind us! With all due [respect], if you've been watching ABC tonight, you've seen nothing. I'm sorry.
It was a bold statement that you wouldn't usually expect to see during a New Year's broadcast, with Anderson Cooper laughing at Cohen's comments. It was also only the beginning of a back-and-forth with Ryan Seacrest about ringing in the new year.
New Year's Eve 2022
CNN decided to put a limit on on-air drinking for the 2022 broadcast with Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper, and Ryan Seacrest opened up to Entertainment Weekly on the news. Although he didn't specifically name Cohen (or Cooper), it seems clear who he was alluding to. 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. There's some pretty respectable people or at least one, right? I think there's a serious journalist and then a friend of mine who has a lot of fun, but it's probably a good idea. Although the viewers probably wish they would drink more. But I think they had something to say about my show at one point, which was I'm sure from the alcohol because, I don't think they would say what they said about our performers if they weren't drinking. But, you know, I think our show's a bigger, broader show and we will not drink until 1:05 in the morning. Although, I might send them some Casa Dragones Tequila just to tempt them while they're on the air.
Given that Andy Cohen is known for his presence on Bravo for the Real Housewives franchise – and is no stranger to guests getting mad at him – while Anderson Cooper is a longtime CNN host, it's safe to say that Cooper is the "serious journalist" who Seacrest was alluding to. It's hard to argue that Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year's Eve isn't bigger and broader, though; airing on ABC rather than CNN gives it a much larger audience.
Ryan Seacrest, who was tapped to replace Pat Sajak as Wheel of Fortune host, then said in an early 2023 episode of Live! with Kelly and Ryan that Cohen didn't greet him while they filmed their respective New Year's specials, despite standing just ten feet away. Seacrest credited Anderson Cooper for turning around and saying to "have a good show," but "Andy did not turn around."
Cohen responded on his own radio show, saying that Anderson Cooper usually gives him the heads up when he's about to wave at Seacrest, but didn't this time around. Cooper said that Cohen was involved in "some producing thing" at the time and assumed that Cohen had already said hello.
The Hosts Clear The Air To Start 2023
While it may sound like the hosts were genuinely annoyed with each other about their respective New Year's broadcasts, they cleared the air in early 2023 when Cohen stopped by Ryan Seacrest's On Air radio show and established that while he does "like watching people fight," he doesn't "like fighting with people." Seacrest confirmed that they weren't fighting, then explained an interaction he had with a woman who mentioned Cohen to him:
I said to her, 'Oh that's funny because he and I have known each other for a long time and we've been friends for years now, and we both are in Times Square together.' We're really doing the same job for hours and hours, and we talk about it leading up to it, literally the day of the show. Usually about weather, but I said to her, 'No, he and I have known each other really well for years.'... We started to work together, actually, when we first met. But it is funny to think that some people think you and I have this thing going on, which just isn't true.
That seemed like it could be the end of the story, but Andy Cohen dropped some comments about Seacrest in the final hours of 2023 that thickened the plot.
New Year's Eve 2023
Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen were drinking to ring in 2024 on CNN, and there were just a few hours to go in 2023 when Cohen commented on Seacrest, who was once again hosting on ABC. After taking a shot at 9 p.m. ET, Cohen said (via THR):
Just want to point out I made a big effort. We waved at Seacrest. He saw us waving so he cannot go around saying that I dissed him. … I’m not starting it. I’m just keeping it real clean. We have waved. Connection has been made.
After Seacrest and Cohen made it clear that they were longtime friends, it sounds like this was just a jab between pals rather than prolonging a genuine feud. If anything, I feel like it should be a New Year's Eve tradition at this point! Anderson Cooper – who once battled the NYE cold in NYC with heated clothing – might disagree, as he told his on-air partner "Don't start it" and "Don't even mention it."
Whether this fake "feud" continues remains to be seen; Ryan Seacrest hasn't commented at the time of writing. We may have to wait nearly a full year for another development.
