A Puppet, a Pause, and Total Chaos — How Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen Accidentally Stole New Year’s Eve

Andy Cohen on Most Annoying Part of Co-Hosting New Year's Show with Anderson Cooper (Exclusive)

What began as a harmless New Year’s Eve gag spiraled into one of the most unforgettable live-TV moments of the night when Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen were handed puppets made in each other’s likeness during CNN’s annual countdown. At first, both tried to keep things moving — smiles tight, posture professional, eyes flicking to the camera like seasoned broadcasters determined not to lose control. And then the puppets “spoke.”

Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper's Most Memorable New Year's Eve Moments

Within seconds, the tone collapsed. Cohen leaned into the bit with gleeful abandon, immediately putting words into Puppet-Anderson’s mouth that were just sharp enough to derail the broadcast. Cooper didn’t last long. He doubled over, shoulders shaking, face disappearing from frame as laughter took over completely. What followed wasn’t scripted banter or polished comedy — it was real-time chaos, the kind that only happens when two people who know each other too well forget they’re live on air.

Viewers could see it unraveling in real time. Cooper tried — and failed — to regain composure. Cohen kept escalating. The puppets became weapons. Long pauses filled with gasps for air replaced dialogue. Crew members could be heard laughing off-camera. It felt less like a broadcast and more like a private joke that accidentally went public — and audiences loved every second of it.

Andy and Anderson take a shot with Stephen Colbert

Social media lit up almost instantly, with clips spreading faster than the confetti falling in Times Square. Fans called it “the moment New Year’s Eve officially began,” praising the hosts for letting the mess breathe instead of shutting it down. “This is why we watch,” one viewer wrote. “Because they’re not pretending.”

By the time the laughter finally settled, the countdown felt secondary. In a night built around spectacle and polish, Cooper and Cohen delivered something rarer: a completely unfiltered, human moment that couldn’t be rehearsed or repeated. The puppets may have been the setup — but the chaos that followed is exactly why people will still be replaying this New Year’s Eve long after the calendar flips again.