How Andy Cohen Really Feels About Making His Own Headlines

At the risk of sounding like Real Housewives Slogan, when Andy Cohen He speaks, people listen. This is true when he hosts Watch what’s happening live and reunion on Bravo, and that’s especially true of his SiriusXM show, where he has time to delve into everything from evil To brave courage.

“There are things I say that viewers don’t agree with,” Cohen, 56, says. we Of his Andy Cohen LiveStudio in New York City. “There was a moment early on Vanderpump Rules Where you said [on the radio],’No no [Kent] It is a voice The reason is this season.’ People played this clip for months on end and were all over the place with me.

During the daily broadcast on Radio Andy (Channel 102, 10 AM), Cohen and Cohost John Hill — his former friend, too, more on that later — “produces a lot of pop culture news,” he says. “And we’re thinking about that too. Whatever’s going on in popular culture, it’s going to be dissected here. And in… andy Cohen Live, That often means the latest in the Bravo universe.

Cohen is the first to admit that it can be difficult to navigate offering his candid perspective while wearing so many hats in reality TV (he also produces Housewives privilege). “Sometimes I make mistakes, but I think I have good sense,” Cohen says, adding: “[Radio] It’s also a place where I talk more often as a producer than anywhere else. “It’s a great opportunity for me to provide background information and explain my point of view further.”

The people he discusses may respond live in the media – or they may respond directly. “I remember Teresa [Giudice] He called me out on something I said, but I said, “Teresa, did you hear the clip?” Let me explain,” Cohen recalls The Real Housewives of New Jersey star. “And she was like, ‘Oh my God, I understand the context now.’

On December 2, he was engaged VPR Again, he tells listeners: “Bravo announced, or word got out, that they were Renew the offerAnd I have to say, first and foremost, it is the absolute right thing to do. No, he’s not a producer on this particular show, but fans have been looking forward to him – as have a slew of celebrities. Without naming names, he confirmed that his phone exploded when news came of the recasting of the twelfth season. “[The response was] “Mainly sadness and ‘Oh my God,’” he says. “Then I have to say, ‘Look, this is the way things should be.'”

How do you feel when you see his opinions being sought out and passed along? “If it’s a good headline, I’m happy with it. If it’s a bad headline, I’m as upset about it as anyone else,” Cohen says. “We have a lot of airtime. [Often] Just me and John talking. Anything said could end up becoming a headline or… [laughs] “It comes back to bite me.”

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He doesn’t do it alone

The secret sauce for Andy Cohen Living might just be Cohost Hill. “I can’t think of too many exes who host something together — Sony and Share “They were hosted after their divorce — but I think it’s interesting for the listener to hear John completely go dark on me,” Cohen admits. “Or it totally knocks me over in a way that no one else can. Even.” Jeff Lewis“.

And when Hale gets the same Housewives Disagreements – most recently a back-and-forth exchange with the ex RHOC star Kelly Dodd Cohen allows him to fight his own battles. “It was between John and her. She sat down and he quickly apologized. “At Radio Andy, I’m proud of everyone in the family for what each person has built, because they all got there with their own personality and point of view. They have all built their own followings and mini universes on the channel.

Ah, back to Jeff Lewis – another personality under the Radio Andy umbrella on SiriusXM. His notes on Jeff Lewis Live They became storylines on several Bravo series this year, including The Real Housewives of Orange County and The real housewives of new york city, Which Cohen admits plays a role in why shows now break the fourth wall.

“It’s weird that the Housewives’ tentacles got to him, and he got on the show,” Cohen says of the “outspoken” and “provocative” host. So honest that Louis even hears from his boss? Not unless Cohen wants to be part of that story, too. “It would take a lot for me to share because I got burned,” he says. “He read my messages on the air!”

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Andy Cohen became the first openly gay host of a late-night talk show when Watch What Happens Live debuted in 2009. The 56-year-old father of son Ben, 5, and daughter Lucy, 2, has publicly defended About LGBTQ+ rights. For Years: Served as an ambassador for the Stonewall Inn Gives Back initiative, raising money for victims […]

There too Dorinda MedleyThe only former Housewife on the channel. “I wouldn’t have done it if she was still in.” Housewives. “That could have created some potential problems,” Cohen says. “She has a very unique perspective. She’s been in the game. She’s also a fan. She’s very smart. She’s stubborn, so it works on a bunch of levels.”

Outside of the Bravo world, Radio Andy features talent as the News Lady Gayle Kingwhich “brings a completely legitimate pop culture perspective to radio,” Cohen says; Actress Sandra Bernhard; The Smith Sisters (“They pop culture like nothing else”) and perhaps the team’s most popular recent addition, social media influencers Tinx. “When Tinx is on, the phone lines are absolutely jam-packed. “She gives the best relationship advice, people really want to hear from her,” Cohen says. (we I’ve seen incoming calls before Tinx went live.) It’s time to make your own headlines, Tinx!

Hey, Mr. DJ

While music is part of Andy Cohen Live – Just three minutes before it aired during our visit, Cohen confirmed to his producer that Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir” was the right choice for Wednesday’s show specifically – it’s the main event on his separate SiriusXM channel, Andy Cohen’s Kiki Lounge. . “During Covid, I spent many nights searching for the top 600 or so songs,” he says. we. “They’re just songs that touch me, songs that I have a story about [and] Songs that influenced my life.”

A song he can’t get enough of: “All the time,” Cohen adds and subtracts from the Kiki Lounge lineup. His latest obsession: Troye Sivan“One of your girls.”

Song I’ve Overcome: He should Sabrina CarpenterWill it still be “espresso” in 2024? “It’s a great song but it’s very annoying at this point.”

Summer song: “I’ve been naughty this summer,” Cohen happily declared, referring to the film’s theme song Charli XCXIt is very preferable. “I love this album.”

Holiday song: Cohen’s favorite classic tune is The Waitresses’ “Christmas Wrapping,” but he’s also obsessed with music. Mariah Carey“All I want for Christmas is you,” he says. we As a fact: “Maria is everyone’s Queen of Christmas.”

His children’s song makes him listen to it: Son Ben, 5 years old, loves “Life is a Highway” from CarsCohen reveals. When asked if he felt the same way about the cover of the 2006 Rascal Flatts cartoon, he simply replied: “No.”

A song that makes him cry: Coldplay’s “Warning Song” can still put him through his feelings as he considers it his “break-up song” from Cohost Hill.

The song that was a big hit with the family: Cohen smiles as he reports that Ben and his two-year-old daughter, Lucy, are on board loyal to him Madonnanaming “Hung Up” the No. 1 song in the family. But when they’re stuck in traffic (as often documented in Cohen’s Instagram Stories), his go-to is the Grateful Dead.