Andy Cohen Blames Drunken NYE Rant On Betty White’s Death

On New Year’s Eve, talk show host Andy Cohen shocked viewers when he went on a drunken rant against people like outgoing New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) and television host Ryan Seacrest during CNN’s live broadcast. Now, Cohen is blaming his drunken antics on Betty White’s death that happened earlier that day.

Check out some of Cohen’s rant for yourself below.

Cohen Blames Drunken Rant On Betty White Dying

Daily Mail reported that while appearing on Howard Stern’s radio show on Tuesday, Cohen refused to back down from his actions, saying “I will not be shamed for having fun on New Year’s Eve…”

Here’s Cohen talking to Howard Stern:

“Not only was it a middling year but it ended in a car crash of COVID and Betty White dying on the day of New Year’s Eve – who everyone loved – so it was like, ‘we gotta kick it into gear, we gotta have fun,'” he said.

White died in her sleep on New Year’s Eve at the age of 99, just 17 days before her 100th birthday. Her death put a damper on the celebration of the new year for millions of fans around the globe.

Related: Betty White Uttered This Powerful Last Word Says ‘Carol Burnett Show’ Star Vicki Lawrence

Cohen Refuses To Apologize

Cohen told Stern that he will be making “no apologies for my drinking on New Year’s Eve, none,” adding that CNN President Jeff Zucker has not addressed the rant with him. 

“The only direction that I get every year from Jeff Zucker is have fun. That is my job,” he told Stern. “I won’t be shamed for it. I had a blast. Anderson had a blast. We left and we were like ‘that was fun, what a fun New Year’s Eve.'” 

Cohen added that his only regret was going after Seacrest, who was broadcasting simultaneously on New Year’s Eve on ABC.

“I really like Ryan Seacrest. He’s a really nice guy,” Cohen said. ‘” was, as they say, in my cups and I was kind of enjoying the rant. I was like ‘wow, it’s really fun being on CNN, just ranting like a nutty guy. This is fun.’ So I kept going and, that I felt bad about that, I felt bad and I texted Ryan the next morning.”

Related: Betty White’s Agent Goes Public With Her Cause Of Death To Dispel Internet Rumors

Cohen Has No Regrets About Bashing de Blasio

During his drunken rant, Cohen held nothing back as he blasted de Blasio, saying that “the only thing that Democrats and Republicans can agree on is what a horrible mayor he has been.”

While Cohen didn’t regret slamming de Blasio for his failures as mayor, he did regret saying that he would be back on the air next year.

“Towards the end of the de Blasio rant, I said something like ‘I have a feeling I’ll be here next year,'” he continued. “And when I saw the clip, I was like ‘dude that’s the clip they’re gonna play when you get canceled this year.”

However, Cohen then confirmed that CNN has indeed already invited him back next year. It remains to be seen if plans to have Cohen appear on the New Year’s Eve show next year will actually remain in place.