Politics
WATCH: Anderson Cooper Literally Gags While Downing Vodka Shots on TV
CNN attempted a truly cringeworthy “How do you do, fellow kids?” stunt during the network’s New Year’s Eve celebration as it allowed Anderson Cooper and his co-host to down shots of vodka, prompting Cooper to literally gag for viewers.
The longtime host has been a staple of CNN’s traditional New Year’s Eve broadcast and weathered controversies that ultimately contributed to the downfall of colleagues like Don Lemon and co-hosts like Kathy Griffin. The approval of alcohol for Cooper followed a longstanding ban on shots since Lemon appeared visibly intoxicated during past years and ranted about his “haters.”
Raising a shot glass, co-host Andy Cohen shouted a good old, “Here we go!” before the two take the plunge. Cooper immediately makes a squelching noise and sticks out his tongue in a look of utter disgust.
By the third shot, Cohen was beginning to accept they may be going overboard.
“That was a big one, even for me!” he joked.
WATCH:
This is very umcomfortable
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) January 1, 2024
As actor Neil Patrick Harris stood by uncomfortably, the two hosts fell into a laughing fit so complete that viewers were forced to listen to Cooper’s high-pitched squeal for more than 10 seconds straight before they continued with a game of “Never Have I Ever.”
With nearly an hour to go before midnight, Cohen declared that Cooper was “off with the fairies” as he went off-camera to lean over the railing and laugh uncontrollably while yet another guest stood by, visibly impatient to get on with the pockmarked interview.
Since going full anti-Trump, CNN has suffered mightily in the ratings against its longstanding competitors Fox News and MSNBC, both of which have surpassed the once-centrist network. The rise of Tucker Carlson has further reinforced that the new media landscape will be dominated by personalities who drive their viewership with opinionated coverage rather than a veneer of journalistic impartiality. Major figures at CNN, including the since-fired Lemon and White House correspondent Jim Acosta, have betrayed liberal slants that revealed their reporting was never about the facts, but rather the perception of independence.
