News Beat
Anderson Cooper had a hilarious response every time Andy Cohen mentioned hit series Heated Rivalry during NYE coverage
Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen have weighed in on the new hit series Heated Rivalry during their annual, chaotic New Year’s Eve special.
The CNN correspondent, 58, and Bravo executive, 57, returned to CNN to host the network’s New Year’s Eve Live, where they chat with celebrities and play games throughout the evening leading up to the Times Square ball drop.
This year, while speaking to Grammy winner Brandi Carlile, the topic of the HBO Max series, centered around gay hockey players, came up. When Cohen asked Carlile her thoughts on the show during a round of his game “Do lesbians give a damn?” Cooper shied away and began giggling uncontrollably.
“It’s all I can think about. It’s all I can think about. I can’t even sleep at night without thinking about [the show],” Carlile responded. Cooper, meanwhile, was doubled over laughing while she delivered her verdict.
Heated Rivalry, the TV adaptation of Rachel Reid’s 2019 novel, debuted Thanksgiving weekend on HBO Max. It follows rival hockey players Ilya Rozanov (played by Connor Storrie) and Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) as they develop feelings for one another and navigate how that impacts their respective careers.
Elsewhere during the special, longtime friends Cooper and Cohen debated which characters from the show they would be.
“Ohhh Heated Rivalry,” Cohen laughed before wondering who would be which lead character in the series. Cooper was again giggling as the show was brought up.
“Of the two of us, you’re Ilya and I’m Shane,” Cohen said, answering his own question. But Cooper seemed confused by the response, turning to Cohen and saying, “What?”
Fueled by on-air tequila shots, fans were delighted by the antics of Cooper and Cohen this year — and especially by the giggles.
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“Anderson’s laugh is the greatest joy of #CNNNYE, it’s the best!” one viewer wrote while another responded, “He always brings a joy to the end of the year with that cute chuckle.”
Cooper had another case of the giggles later in the evening when Cohen made him perform a dramatic reading of Taylor Swift’s song “Wood,” inspired by her NFL star fiancé Travis Kelce.
“Redwood tree, it ain’t hard to see, His love was the key that opened my thighs,” Cooper read aloud. He made it just a few words further — “Girls, I don’t need to catch the bouquet” — before he was again doubled over laughing while trying to finish the line with the lyrics, “To know a hard rock is on the way.”
“Okay, I get it,” he said through giggles.
