No Boozy NYE For CNN Anchors: New Leadership Calls it Damaging to Respectability if Hosts Drink While Ringing in the New Year
The longstanding New Year’s Eve tradition of watching your favorite CNN anchors get plastered on camera could be in jeopardy this year.
According to Variety, new leadership at the network, in the form of CEO Chris Licht, is putting an end to the liquid indulgences, citing the damaging consequences it could have on the company.
In Variety’s reporting, a town hall discussion was held on Tuesday between Licht and staffers to discuss the rest of the year’s programming.
Licht, who came into the CEO position in April 2022, wasted no time in setting the ground rules for NYE 2023, telling employees “he felt on-camera drinking eroded the credibility of CNN personnel and damaged the ‘respectability’ they may enjoy among viewers.”
But have no fear. For those who enjoy the shenanigans of Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen ringing in the new year in Times Square, the duo have been cleared to be the only CNN employees to drink on the big night.
Cooper and Cohen’s hosting gig for New Year’s Eve has never been without headline-making moments.
This year, Cohen went viral after roasting former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio in the wee hours of 2022.
“Sayonara sucka!” Cohen yelled as Cooper looked on with a perplexed look on his face.
The iconic duo also took shots on the air in honor of late actress Betty White.
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