Right after the New Year’s Eve ball fell in Times Square, Andy Cohen took aim at former New York City Mayor Eric Adams, while his co-host Anderson Cooper appeared hesitant to interrupt.
Cohen, 57, didn’t hold back as he reflected on what he deemed Adams’ “horrible” term, urging the ex-mayor—who is currently without a job—to “go away as the sun sets.”
“After witnessing Mayor Adams’ chaotic and terrible end, I want to say…” Cohen stated during CNN’s “New Year’s Eve Live.”
Cooper and actor B.J. Novak attempted to calm Cohen down, who was holding shot glasses and sharing his displeasure with the 65-year-old Adams.
“He got a pardon, he was pardoned,” Cohen inadvertently exclaimed, likely referring to federal corruption charges against Adams that were dismissed earlier this year.
“Okay, you forgive me. Let’s head into the sunset. We’ll deal with what you left behind,” he added.
Novak humorously suggested Cohen should be “terminated” for continuing his tirade on CNN, which had a history of banning alcohol during New Year celebrations. An anxious Cooper put his arm around Cohen in an effort to calm him, but it didn’t quite work, with Novak commenting, “There’s nothing I can do about it.”
“You’ve pardoned me for four years. All clubs, see you there,” Cohen stated while looking into the camera.
“Goodbye, Mayor Adams, you did it, you did it, right?”
Cohen also offered a tongue-in-cheek congratulations to Adams, who recently set up a new rodent control department through an executive order.
“But let’s be clear: I think he might have reduced the rat population,” Cohen joked.
“He might have eliminated some rats, but isn’t that somewhat symbolic?” Cohen continued. “Let’s be honest about this.”
“It’s 2026, and there are fewer rats,” he remarked, seemingly taking a drink afterward.
As the clock struck midnight, Adams metaphorically handed over the keys to the Gracie Mansion to Zoran Mamdani, a Democratic socialist appointed as mayor by New York State Attorney General Letitia James.
The swearing-in took place during a private ceremony at an old subway station beneath City Hall Park.
Mamdani, who is 34, took his oath on a Koran that belongs to his wife, artist Rama Dwaj.
The CNN broadcast, which originates live from midtown Manhattan, has faced considerable backlash in recent years due to the on-air drinking habits of its hosts.
In the past, the network imposed alcohol bans on most of its on-air staff, except for Cooper and Cohen, citing issues from previous New Year’s Eve broadcasts involving other anchors.
During the wild celebrations of 2022, Cohen unleashed a similar rant against former mayor Bill de Blasio, stating that he should “give him a lap dance of victory after the most terrible four years as mayor.”
“The only thing Democrats and Republicans can come together on is how awful he was as mayor. So, goodbye, you suck!” Cohen had declared.
Later, he claimed he didn’t recall his anti-de Blasio comments, attributing it to being drunk.
