BFFs Andy Cohen & Anderson Cooper Ready to Rock New Year's Eve Once Again (with Drinks!)

Fast away the old year passes, and in just a couple months gay BFFs Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen will be seeing 2024 out the door and ushering in 2025 – tequila shots in hand – Variety reports.

That's probably welcome news for millions of prospective viewers; regardless of how next week's presidential election turns out, much of the country will probably be ready for a drink come Dec. 31.

CNN slapped limits on the drinking that goes on during the live New Year's show, which is co-hosted by Cooper, a CNN anchor, after Cohen unleashed a drunken tirade during the program that ushered in 2022. Cohen targeted Bill DeBlasio – at the time, the outgoing mayor of New York City – as well as Ryan Seacrest, who was hosting ABC's New Year's Eve show.

According to Variety, CNN chairman Chris Licht issued the directive, which stipulated the network's on-camera personnel must refrain from drinking on air with the exception of Cooper.

"Licht told employees he felt on-camera drinking eroded the credibility of CNN personnel and damaged the 'respectability' they may enjoy among viewers," the publication detailed.

Not that the prohibition on drinking necessarily made any difference. Cohen, who is a producer with Bravo as well as being a talk show and radio host, let it be known well in advance of 2022's New Year's show that he had no intention of acting less uninhibitedly than he had before, the sobriety rule notwithstanding.

"It's fun for me because I'm a guest on CNN, so I'm like a visitor," Cohen told Rolling Stone prior to the end-of-2022 broadcast, adding: "And so I can kind of torch the place while I'm there, and then head out."

Asked by Variety whether he'd be back for this year's CNN broadcast with Cooper – and whether drinks would be downed – Cohen responded, "Yes! You bet. After what Anderson did in that hurricane, I'm not only giving him tequila, I'm throwing it at him."

"Cohen was referring to Cooper's coverage of Hurricane Milton in Bradenton, Florida, where he was struck by flying debris while reporting on-location earlier this month," Us Magazine recounted.

"At the time, some fans joked on social media that Cooper's experience earned him the right to drink on air with Cohen during their 2024 New Year's Eve special."

Of the looming election that has left much of America gripped with anxiety, Cohen made it be known his preferred candidate is Vice President Kamala Harris.

"It's the most important election of our time," Cohen told the entertainment news outlet. "I know this gets said every four years, but I think it is. I'm a gay American dad who loves my country and I'm also the son of a woman who taught me to always stand up for what I believe and speak my mind. And I have a platform and if people want to pay attention to what I have to say then that's great, and if they don't then I fully respect that as well."

That said, however, "The election will be over in two weeks," Cohen went on to add, "and we'll all go back to our regularly scheduled programming and everyone can calm down and chill out."