- Cooper shared a bottle of tequila with Cohen during Sunday night's broadcast
- “Can Dad get his juice responsibly?” the newsreader joked just before taking a photo
- The hosts were instructed to avoid alcohol last year under the guidance of former CNN CEO Chris Licht
Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen returned fire during CNN's live New Year's Eve show, just a year after the network banned drinking on air during the festivities.
“Speaking of traditions, it's the hour of the hour,” Cohen said Sunday night as he and Cooper appeared at the annual live show in Times Square.
“We've been doing this here for seven years, and most of those years… well, usually there's a toast at the highest hour.”
The TV host continued, “I guess I'm just wondering, is daddy getting his juice?”
“Can Dad get his juice responsibly?” Cooper joked back.
Under a new policy in the fall of 2022, the hosts were instructed not to drink during the holiday broadcast.
Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper took photos during CNN's New Year's Eve broadcast on Sunday
“I guess I'm just wondering, is Dad getting his juice?” Cohen joked before Cooper bought a bottle of tequila
The hosts were ordered to avoid alcohol in the fall of 2022 after former network CEO Chris Licht blasted the tradition as unprofessional
When Cooper said he had no alcohol, Cohen pulled a bottle of tequila from his bag.
“Anderson, that's why I'm a very good partner for you. I understood! We do this!' said Cohen.
After inviting viewers to join in the toast, Cohen and Cooper each took a shot.
The controversy arose during the 2022 New Year's Eve show, where Cohen and Cooper hosted from New York while former CNN anchor Don Lemon reported from New Orleans.
Lemon, with a drink in hand, proclaimed that haters could “kiss my butt,” and Cohen launched into an alcohol-fueled tirade against Bill de Blasio.
The network made the decision to ban drinking on air that fall, led by then-CEO Chris Licht.
At a meeting in November, Licht stated, “I'm not looking for a bunch of my respectful talents to record all night,” according to a recording obtained by The Washington Post.
“That will be different,” he continued. “I don't think that improves credibility.”
A spokesperson later acknowledged that Cohen's alcohol-fueled tirade against de Blasio was inappropriate, saying, “Andy said something he shouldn't have done on live TV.”
During the 2022 New Year's Eve show, Lemon drunkenly railed against his 'haters' and told them to 'kiss my butt'
That same evening, Cohen launched a booze-fueled tirade against former New York Mayor Bill de Blasio
After the CEO's statements were leaked, Lemon appeared on 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' to have a tequila shot with the host.
“I don't know what I'm going to do this year,” Lemon told Colbert. “You're going to get me in trouble.”
The former host of “CNN This Morning” parted ways with the network in April after being accused of misogyny.
It's unclear whether new CEO Mark Thompson has reversed the alcohol ban, but Cohen pleaded with him last month to allow on-air drinking.
“I haven't heard anything yet, but come on, they gotta let us drink,” Cohen told E! News in November.
'It's New Year's Eve. That didn't go well last year in terms of viewer happiness about our drinking. People really cared and I hope CNN gives people what they want.”
Both Cohen and Cooper built up the tension during an appearance on “The Late Show,” with Cooper saying, “I think you should tune in and watch.”