While Anderson Cooper seemingly hasn’t spoken out about a second year of New Year’s Eve sobriety, he’s admitted that he doesn’t drink much during the rest of the year. Cooper may even find the booze ban to be somewhat of a relief since, as some have pointed out, past broadcasts have seemed to show Cohen twisting his co-host’s arm to drink more than he might have otherwise.
Notably, Ryan Seacrest supports on-air New Year’s Eve prohibition. While Cohen did apologize for insulting Seacrest once he sobered up from his 2021 N.Y.E. festivities, it came as no surprise that the “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” host spoke out in favor of sobriety when asked to weigh in on CNN’s decision. While Seacrest admitted that some of his show’s guests are likely to arrive inebriated, they may be performing for just a few minutes; an anchor, on the other hand, is there for hours at a time and needs to keep a clear head.
So, will CNN capitulate to Cohen’s demands, or will he defy the ban? No one knows just yet, but since plenty of people — restaurant and bar workers, cab drivers, even CNN’s production crew — have to work sober on New Year’s Eve, Cohen drinking on air would present a bit of a double standard.