Andy Cohen got into a little trouble over an umbrella during CNN’s New Year’s Eve coverage on Monday night.
A little over an hour into the broadcast, co-host Anderson Cooper addressed Cohen’s soaked appearance following a commercial break.
“Andy has taken a turn,” Cooper joked.
“It’s more than drizzling in Times Square,” Cohen said. “I’m not putting a damper on anything but I will say this: I had this umbrella. The lady from the Times Square Alliance came over said, ‘You have to get rid of the umbrella!’”
Cooper laughed, “This has been going on for an hour and a half.”
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“I said I won’t do it,” Cohen continued. “I said, ‘Get the paddy wagon cause that’s what it’s going to take.’ But now they are threatening to pull CNN’s spot from the credentials from Times Square for next year!”
Cooper then compared Cohen’s situation to the one CNN reporter Jim Acosta found himself in last year when his White House press credentials were taken away over a dispute with Donald Trump.
“This umbrella is such a threat to the Times Square Alliance?” Cohen said, holding up the offending umbrella. “And what does the Times Square Alliance do besides F with my New Year’s Eve? So, fine! Univision has their umbrellas over there. We stand with Univision!”
Afterwards, Cooper explained that the Univision reporters were also forced to put away their umbrellas. The two hosts then urged viewers to tweet “Let Andy Have His Umbrella”.
Viewers did not disappoint.
Times Square Alliance defended their decision in a statement to PageSix.
“It has been our policy that umbrellas are not permitted on the media riser so as to not interfere with media colleagues’ sightlines,” the statement read. “There were over 100 credentialed members of the media and 15 live broadcast camera spots on the media riser this year.
“We don’t monitor this issue on other stages that are stand-alone with no other networks present.Thus no potential for other camera shots to be blocked.”
They also refuted Cohen’s claims that CNN was threatened with a press ban: “Some tempers flared, but it was never the case, nor will it be the case, that CNN would be denied credentials or the ability to cover New Year’s Eve.”
