It’s only been a day since Zohran Mamdani replaced Eric Adams as the mayor of New York, and things are already at a boiling point. Well, we are talking about popular show host Andy Cohen’s ill-timed, drunken CNN rant about the city’s ex-mayor on New Year’s Eve.
The 57-year-old seemingly appeared to go off-script during New Year’s Eve Live as midnight fireworks lit the sky above Times Square. Cohen veered into politics and ended up referring to it as the final moments of Adam’s chaotic tenure.
Viewers noticed that Cohen’s co-host, Anderson Cooper, repeatedly tried to shut him down, but his efforts were all in vain. Even BJ Novak, who appeared on the show as a guest, made visible attempts to restrain him.
Cohen and Cooper, the iconic show-hosting duo, had returned to host the show for the ninth season, but the celebration took an unexpected turn the moment Cohen started rambling with a drink in hand.
For the unversed, the show was long considered a politics-free zone until the Watch What Happens Live host did the unthinkable.
After the ball dropped and after having a few, Andy Cohen goes off about he’s relishing the end of Mayor Eric Adams’ time as New York City mayor.
Anderson Cooper desperately tried to get out of frame but the cameraman does him dirty and goes wide. pic.twitter.com/rmzWi5upN4
— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) January 1, 2026
Andy Cohen’s controversial words rang through as he stated, “Watching the final moments of Mayor Adams’s chaotic, horrible… I just want to say, he got his pardons… No, I’m just saying. Great, you got your pardons. Go off into the sunset. We’ll fiddle with what we have, with what you’ve left us with.”
Needless to say, the raucous exchange on live TV overtook headlines, drawing attention away from Mamdani’s historic swearing-in and New York’s political transition. Amplifying the drama, Eric Adams responded directly to Cohen on X with a strong message.
He wrote, “My response to @Andy: AA. Another sloppy drunken rant. If anyone actually cares about him, they’ll tell him to get help. New Yorkers aren’t laughing with him. They are concerned about him. Public intoxication is a disease. He should seek help. He was safe in Times Square because we did our job. Again. Seek help. AAA: Andy’s Alcohol Anonymous.”
My response to @Andy: AA.
Another sloppy drunken rant.
If anyone actually cares about him, they’ll tell him to get help. New Yorkers aren’t laughing with him. They are concerned about him. Public intoxication is a disease. He should seek help.
He was safe in Times Square… https://t.co/ACAIkEKLkT
— Eric Adams (@ericadamsfornyc) January 1, 2026
The sharp-tongued response came on the same day when Mamdani swore in on his new position, promising a new era and taking a leap to reinvent New York. In fact, he had a strong message against those who advised him to lower expectations. Mamdani said, “I will do no such thing.”
Speaking of Andy Cohen’s rant, it did become one of the internet’s favorite meme materials. More so since, ironically, Eric Adams has not actually gotten his presidential pardon in the federal corruption cases against him.
A judge dismissed the charges with prejudice on April 2, which meant that they could not be brought up again.
Meanwhile, Zohran Mamdani tried to put up a strong front on the inaugural day itself. His strong speech and message for revamping New York grabbed immediate attention.
Right after his swearing in, the democratic socialist stated, “If you are a New Yorker, I am your mayor. Regardless of whether we agree, I will protect you, celebrate with you, mourn alongside you and never, not for a second, hide from you.”
