''New Year's Eve Live with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen'' is an annual

New Year's Eve In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve refers to the evening, or commonly the entire day, of the last day of the year, 31 December, also known as Old Year's Day. In many countries, New Year's Eve is celebrated with dancing, eating, drinkin ...

television special broadcast by

CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...

and

CNN International Cable News Network International or CNN International (CNNi, simply branded on-air as CNN) is an international television channel and website, owned by CNN Worldwide. CNN International carries news-related programming worldwide; it cooperates ...

. It primarily focuses on coverage of the " ball drop" event held at New York City's

Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and Neighborhoods in New York City, neighborhood in the Midtown Manhattan section of New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway (Manhattan), ...

, while also featuring coverage of festivities in other areas of the U.S. and around the world.

Anderson Cooper Anderson Hays Cooper (born June 3, 1967) is an American broadcast journalist and political commentator who anchors the CNN news broadcast show ''Anderson Cooper 360°''. In addition to his duties at CNN, Cooper serves as a correspondent for ''6 ...

has been hosting ''New Year's Eve Live'' since 2002. From 2007 to 2017, comedian Kathy Griffin was Cooper's co-host, providing bawdy

comic relief Comic Relief is a British charity, founded in 1986 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Sir Lenny Henry in response to the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia. The concept of Comic Relief was to get British comedians to make t ...

; Griffin was dismissed from the program and CNN in May 2017, and replaced by

Andy Cohen Andrew Joseph Cohen (born June 2, 1968) is an American radio and television talk show host, producer, and writer. He is the host and executive producer of ''The Real Housewives'' Multimedia franchise, franchise and Bravo (American TV network), B ...

beginning with the 2017–18 edition. The program has become known for its sometimes raucous and controversial moments.

Overview

On December 31, 2001, Miles O'Brien hosted informal, news-based coverage of New Year's Eve celebrations in Times Square. CNN correspondents provided reports of the festivities from the crowd, including the swearing in of incoming New York City

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

Michael Bloomberg Michael Rubens Bloomberg (born February 14, 1942) is an American businessman and politician. He is the majority owner and co-founder of Bloomberg L.P., and was its CEO from 1981 to 2001 and again from 2014 to 2023. He served as the 108th mayo ...

. In 2002, Anderson Cooper took over as host from Times Square. He had volunteered to host New Year's coverage in response to his own personal ambivalence on the holiday. In addition to Times Square, the program has frequently broadcast from

Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

, Memphis,

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

, and

Key West Key West is an island in the Straits of Florida, at the southern end of the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Island, it con ...

, where Gary Marion (a

drag queen A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses Drag (entertainment), drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate Femininity, female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have ...

who performs as "Sushi") rides a ruby shoe down to ring in the new year. On May 31, 2017, CNN cut its ties with Griffin after she had posted a photo depicting her holding a mock severed head of U.S. president

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

. A CNN spokesperson described her photo as "disgusting and offensive", while Cooper himself condemned the photo by stating that it was "clearly disgusting and completely inappropriate". On October 11, 2017, Andy Cohen was announced as Griffin's replacement. Guest correspondents over the years include Don Lemon, Poppy Harlow, Ed Henry, John Zarrella, and Gary Tuchman—who usually is assigned to smaller or more eccentric New Year's celebrations. In recent years, musical performances inside Times Square and in other places have been shown. The program was initially only 30 minutes long, beginning at 11:30 p.m. ET until shortly after the conclusion of the ball drop. The runtime was expanded to 90 minutes beginning in 2003, and was extended several times in the following years. As of 2022, the program ran from 8 p.m. until just after 1 a.m. ET, with the last half hour focusing on festivities in the

Central Time Zone The North American Central Time Zone (CT) is a time zone in parts of Canada, the United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It ...

(most often

and/or

). This was in contrast with other nationally broadcast New Year's Eve programs until 2017, when ABC's ''New Year's Rockin' Eve'' started broadcasting a Central Time countdown from New Orleans. Beginning in 2023, the special added coverage of celebrations from the Mountain Time Zone (extending its runtime to just after 2 a.m. ET), anchored by Tuchman and his daughter Lindsay. The

Pacific Time Zone The Pacific Time Zone (PT) is a time zone encompassing parts of western Canada, the western United States, and western Mexico. Places in this zone observe standard time by subtracting eight hours from Coordinated Universal Time ( UTC−08:00 ...

does not receive live coverage during the special, with a tape-delayed encore of the 11:00 p.m. hour from Times Square shown at this time.

Past editions

2003–2006

On December 31, 2003, Anderson Cooper hosted, joined by Jason Carroll (street reports),

Hugh Hefner Hugh Marston Hefner (April 9, 1926 – September 27, 2017) was an American magazine publisher. He was the founder and editor-in-chief of ''Playboy'' magazine, a publication with revealing photographs and articles. Hefner extended the ''Playboy ...

(at the

Playboy Mansion The Playboy Mansion, also known as the Playboy Mansion West, is the former home of ''Playboy'' magazine founder Hugh Hefner, who lived there from 1971 until his death in 2017. Barbi Benton convinced Hefner to buy the home located in Holmby H ...

Cyndi Lauper Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper ( ; born June 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Known for her distinctive image, featuring a variety of hair colors and eccentric clothing, and for her powerful four-octave vocal range;Jerome, ...

Wyclef Jean Nel Ust Wyclef Jean ( ; born October 17, 1969) is a Haitian rapper, singer, and record producer. Born in Haiti, Jean emigrated to the Northeastern United States, United States as a child. He gained fame as a founding member of the Fugees, a Ne ...

Ben Stein Benjamin Jeremy Stein (born November 25, 1944) is an American writer, lawyer, actor, comedian, and commentator on political and economic issues. He began his career as a speechwriter for U.S. presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford before enter ...

, Amazing Kreskin,

The Flaming Lips The Flaming Lips are an American psychedelic rock band formed in 1983 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The band currently consists of Wayne Coyne (vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards), Steven Drozd (guitars, bass, keyboards, drums, vocals), Derek Brown ...

, John Zarrella (Key West), Kendis Gibson (

Elma, New York :'' For other places with this name, see Elma (disambiguation), Elma''. Elma is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 11,721 at the 2020 census. The town is named after the ...

, where a resident had won a write-in contest to have the show come to her New Year party, which in her case also was a graduation and going-away party for her son), and live look-ins at celebrations in other cities. On December 31, 2004, ''New Year's Live with Anderson Cooper'' featured a performance by

Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion (born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Power Ballads", Dion's powerful, technically skilled vocals and commercially successful works have had ...

from

Caesars Palace Caesars Palace is a luxury hotel and casino in Paradise, Nevada, United States. The hotel is situated on the west side of the Las Vegas Strip between Bellagio and The Mirage. It is one of Las Vegas's largest and best known landmarks. Caesar ...

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

. On December 31, 2005, Anderson Cooper hosted from Times Square, with Erica Hill reporting from the crowd on the street. John Zarrella reported from Key West,

Betty Nguyen Betty Nguyen (born September 1, 1974) is an American news anchor, currently WFOR-TV, CBS Miami morning news co-anchor. Nguyen has previously worked for NBC News, MSNBC, CBS News, CNN, and WPIX. Career Nguyen began her career as a morning anchor ...

was in Chicago, and Susan Roesgen was in New Orleans, which was recovering from

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a powerful, devastating and historic tropical cyclone that caused 1,392 fatalities and damages estimated at $125 billion in late August 2005, particularly in the city of New Orleans and its surrounding area. ...

. Musical performances included

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, and record producer. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century music, he is referred to by Honorific nick ...

B.B. King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, sh ...

's blues club in Times Square, John Mayer Trio in San Francisco,

Barenaked Ladies Barenaked Ladies (BNL) is a Canadian Rock music, rock band which was formed in 1988 in the Toronto suburb of Scarborough, Ontario. The band developed a following in Canada, with their Barenaked Ladies (EP), self-titled 1991 cassette becoming th ...

at St. Pete Times Forum, Brooks & Dunn in Nashville, Fantasia at The Aladdin in Las Vegas,

Kool & the Gang Kool & the Gang is an American Rhythm and blues, R&B, soul music, soul, and funk band formed in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1964. Its founding members include brothers Robert "Kool" Bell and Ronald Bell (musician), Ronald Bell (also known as " ...

, and Wynton Marsalis. Harry Connick, Jr. did a special feature on New Orleans, while Chef Paul Prudhomme joined for a cooking segment also in New Orleans. On December 31, 2006, ''New Year's Live with Anderson Cooper'' featured a performance by the

Goo Goo Dolls The Goo Goo Dolls are an American rock band based in Buffalo, New York, composed of lead vocalist and guitarist John Rzeznik, bassist and vocalist Robby Takac, as well as several rotating members since its formation in 1986. After starting ...

Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, United States, part of the Greater Los Angeles area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orang ...

, and Montgomery Gentry at Rupp Arena.

was scheduled to perform a song live, but he died on December 25.

2007

For the program on December 31, 2007, comedian Kathy Griffin joined Anderson Cooper as co-host for the 90-minute show. The two immediately developed a unique rapport, which featured discussion about

pop culture Popular culture (also called pop culture or mass culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as popular art pop_art.html" ;"title="f. pop art">f. pop artor mass art, some ...

events and off-beat news stories from the year. Griffin actively engaged Cooper in various personal questions and rumors, and often steered the program off-track from Cooper's normal strait-laced broadcasting style. Griffin also initiated an annual

drinking game Drinking games are games which involve the consumption of alcoholic beverages and often enduring the subsequent intoxication resulting from them. Evidence of the existence of drinking games dates back to antiquity. Drinking games have been banne ...

for each time she addressed Cooper as "Andy." Erica Hill reported from street level in the crowd in Time Square, Kiran Chetry reported from

Hard Rock Cafe Hard Rock Cafe, Inc. is a chain of theme restaurant, theme bar-restaurants, memorabilia shops, casinos, hotels and museums founded in 1971 by Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton in London. In 1979, the cafe began covering its walls with rock and roll ...

, Gary Tuchman took part in the "Midnight Run" in Central Park, and John Zarrella reported from Key West. Sean Callebs (

) and Kareen Wynter (Las Vegas) also joined for segments.

2008

For the program on December 31, 2008, comedian Kathy Griffin joined Anderson Cooper as co-host for the second year, this year expanded to two hours. Griffin spent much of the night responding to hecklers. As the show was going to commercial she responded to a heckler by saying "I don't go to your job and knock the dicks out of your mouth." She also asked if she could "get a pap smear from Dr. Sanjay Gupta," to which Cooper responded "Really, are we going there ''already''?" She later called

Glenn Beck Glenn Lee Beck (born February 10, 1964) is an American conservative political commentator, radio host, entrepreneur, and television producer. He is the CEO, founder, and owner of Mercury Radio Arts, the parent company of his television and rad ...

a "

heroin Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a morphinan opioid substance synthesized from the Opium, dried latex of the Papaver somniferum, opium poppy; it is mainly used as a recreational drug for its eupho ...

addict Mormon." She asked Cooper if he had ever "ridden the '' Morning Express''" (a reference to Robin Meade whom Griffin claimed Cooper was "in love with"). Don Lemon and Erica Hill reported from street level and Gary Tuchman from the Midnight Run in

Central Park Central Park is an urban park between the Upper West Side and Upper East Side neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City, and the first landscaped park in the United States. It is the List of parks in New York City, sixth-largest park in the ...

. Brooke Anderson reported from Las Vegas, Sean Callebs reported from New Orleans, and John Zarrella reported from Key West. White House Correspondent Ed Henry reported from

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

, following president-elect Obama on vacation.

2009

During the December 31, 2009, episode, Kathy Griffin drew controversy after saying "fuck" live on the air. During a segment where Cooper and Griffin were recounting pop culture events of the year, the subject of the Balloon Boy was brought up. During an exchange, Griffin said "Wait … Falcon? Fuckin'? Falcon? How do you say it?" Cooper quickly responded "You're terrible," and quickly switched to a new topic. Griffin then joked about having 'a

lesbian A lesbian is a homosexual woman or girl. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate nouns with female homosexu ...

three-way with Susan Boyle and Oprah,' and said she was engaged to Levi Johnston. She also asked Cooper "how do you not just stare in the mirror all day and pleasure yourself because you're so gorgeous?" In the days immediately following, it was reported that Griffin was fired from the position and would not be invited back.

Lance Bass James Lance Bass (; born May 4, 1979) is an American singer, actor, and producer. He grew up in Mississippi and rose to fame as the Bass (voice type), bass singer for the boy band NSYNC. The band has sold over 70 million records, becoming one of ...

joined the show as a correspondent at Planet Hollywood in

. Don Lemon and Poppy Harlow served as street reporters, interviewing patrons in Times Square. John Zarrella reported live from Key West, and Gary Tuchman from Central Park.

2010

Despite rumors that Kathy Griffin had been banned from CNN, she returned for her fourth year on December 31, 2010. The 90-minute program featured Cooper and Griffin hosted in Times Square, with

Brooke Baldwin Lauren Brooke Baldwin (born July 12, 1979) is an American journalist, television host, and author who was at CNN from 2008 until 2021. Baldwin hosted ''CNN Newsroom with Brooke Baldwin'', which aired from 3 to 4p.m. ET on weekdays. Early lif ...

reporting live in

, John Zarrella in Key West and Gary Tuchman again participating in the "Midnight Run" in Central Park. Isha Sesay reported from the crowd in Times Square. Among the random discussions were Griffin's visit with

Cher Cher ( ; born Cheryl Sarkisian, May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Goddess of Pop", she is known for her Androgyny, androgynous contralto voice, Music an ...

, and a live phone call from Cooper's mother

Gloria Vanderbilt Gloria Laura Vanderbilt (February 20, 1924 – June 17, 2019) was an American artist, author, actress, fashion designer, heiress, and socialite. During the 1930s, she was the subject of a high-profile child custody trial in which her mother, ...

. Griffin maintained her typical antics, at one point kissing a crew member, and pretended to start undressing Cooper. However, she completed the broadcast without saying any swear words.

2011

On December 31, 2011, Cooper and Griffin hosted for the fifth year. CNN correspondents included: Isha Sesay (street reports), Gary Tuchman and his 14-year-old daughter (Central Park run), John Zarrella (Key West),

and Marty Savidge (Nashville). Anderson Cooper took part in a pre-recorded skit involving the ''

Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in ...

'' Broadway show. Immediately thereafter, Griffin ridiculed it as being lame and unfunny. The program featured phone calls from

Kelly Ripa Kelly Maria Ripa (; born October 2, 1970) is an American actress and talk show host. Since 2001, she has been the co-host of the syndicated morning talk show '' Live! with Kelly and Mark'' in various formats. Her co-hosts have included Regis ...

and David Gergen. Kathy Griffin's antics reached a point at 11:48 p.m. where she took her coat and shirt off and appeared on-air wearing only a bra. During the telecast, Cooper joked with her with a sign from the crew stating "No Nudity" and "No Swearing," based on her previous appearances. Griffin also said to Anderson "I'm oing towatch your '' balls'' drop," a

double entendre A double entendre (plural double entendres) is a figure of speech or a particular way of wording that is devised to have a double meaning, one of which is typically obvious, and the other often conveys a message that would be too socially unacc ...

of the popular phrase "watch the ball drop." She poked fun at ChristianMingle.com (an online dating service), kissed Cooper on the lips (which apparently left him uncomfortable), and claimed that

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

"fondled"

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her image reinventions and versatility across the entertainment industry, she is an influ ...

on the ball drop podium after they kissed.

2012

On December 31, 2012, Cooper and Griffin returned for their sixth year together. The program aired from 10:00 PM EST to 1:00 AM. Correspondents joining the broadcast included Isha Sesay (Times Square), John Zarrella (

), Gary Tuchman ( Eastport, Maine),

(

) and Susan Hendricks (

). Griffin's usual antics continued as at one point she dropped to her knees near Cooper's crotch, and also asked him "do you have a sac?" Cooper replied, "I don't know what you're talking about, I have no sack of Christmas presents here." The three-hour broadcast featured a live interview via satellite with Honey Boo Boo, and a visit on the podium by

Psy Park Jae-sang (; born December 31, 1977), better known by his stage name Psy ( ; ), is a South Korean rapper and singer-songwriter, known domestically for his humorous music videos and stage performances and internationally for his hit singl ...

and

MC Hammer Stanley Kirk Burrell (born March 30, 1962), better known by his stage name MC Hammer (or simply Hammer), is an American rapper known for hit songs such as "U Can't Touch This", "2 Legit 2 Quit", and "Pumps and a Bump", flashy dance movements, e ...

2013

For the 2013–2014 broadcast, Cooper and Griffin hosted their seventh consecutive year together. The program aired live from 9 p.m. through 12:30 a.m. EST. It was the first year the program began at 9 p.m. EST. Anderson and Kathy were joined on set by guests: Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, Melissa Etheridge among others. This was John Zarella's final year with CNN, where he has featured the Drag Queen Drop in Key West, Florida for a number of years. The cast looked back at Zarella's remarkable career with the network. Tuchman reported from the Watermelon Drop in

Vincennes, Indiana Vincennes is a city in, and the county seat of, Knox County, Indiana, United States. It is located on the lower Wabash River in the southwestern part of the state, nearly halfway between Evansville and Terre Haute. It was founded in 1732 by F ...

. Cooper and Griffin carried the show for three and a half hours, then similar to years past, tossed to Brooke Baldwin in New Orleans at 12:30 a.m. for a 35-minute coverage of the New Year in the Central Time Zone. Baldwin along with Susan Hendricks shared a live music performance with Hank Williams Jr. In 2013, the hashtag associated with the program #CNNNYE trended on Twitter from 9 p.m. EST through midnight.

2014

Cooper and Griffin co-hosted New Year's Eve live on December 31, 2014, live from New York's Times Square. The program aired from 9:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. eastern, the longest running time ever for the duo. Don Lemon and

hosted from 12:30–1:05 a.m. eastern, ringing in the Central Time Zone's New Year from New Orleans. Griffin's antics were tame compared to previous years, as her only trick of the night was to put red and blue dye in Cooper's gray hair. Richard Quest was scheduled to report live from the

Quantum of the Seas ''Quantum of the Seas'' is a currently operated by Royal Caribbean International and is the lead ship of her class. At her time of delivery in 2014, ''Quantum of the Seas'' was the List of largest cruise ships, third largest cruise ship in the ...

cruise ship off the coast of The Bahamas; although he was called back to New York to cover the AirAsia Flight 8501 crash. Quest instead reported from street level in Times Square. In his place on the cruise ship was CNN correspondent Randi Kaye. Gary Tuchman was scheduled to report live from the 'Crab Drop' in Easton, Maryland, but he was sent to Indonesia on assignment for the AirAsia crash. His daughter, Lindsay Tuchman, a reporter for CNN affiliate WBOC (located in Salisbury, Maryland which is near Easton) reported in his place. Michaela Pereira joined Quest as reporter on the street in Times Square. This was the first time in four years that Isha Sesay did not partake in the coverage. Patrick Oppman reported from

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Pamela Brown reported from Memphis. Though no reporters were present, footage was shown from Key West.

2015

Cooper and Griffin were back for their ninth year on December 31, 2015. The duo hosted an extra hour, beginning at 8 p.m. eastern time, starting the broadcast from their "NYE war room", a hotel suite at the New York Marriott Marquis. Poppy Harlow contributed from Times Square, instead of Rio de Janeiro, following her on-air faint scare. Richard Quest assumed her position in Brazil. Randi Kaye reported from Memphis, where cameras caught the celebration as the city's "Guitar Drop" was briefly stalled due to a guest placing their hand through the track for the 10 foot guitar to be lowered. Gary Tuchman and his daughter Lindsay Tuchman reported from

Hershey, Pennsylvania Hershey is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Derry Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is home to the Hershey Company, which was founded by candy magnate Milton S. Hershey ...

from the "Hershey's Kiss Raise." Don Lemon and

shared festivities from

. At 8:47 p.m., as Cooper and Griffin were walking down to street level in Times Square, Griffin removed her coat and for part of the evening, appeared on-screen wearing only a bra. Don Lemon subsequently commented "I have to say: nice rack." Guests on stage included Jessie J (" Bang Bang") and

Gus Kenworthy Augustus Richard Kenworthy (born October 1, 1991) is a British-American former freestyle skiing, freestyle skier, actor, and YouTuber. He has competed in slopestyle, halfpipe, and big air. Kenworthy won the Olympic medal, silver medal in men's s ...

. In addition, Dana Bash appeared with Griffin in a pre-recorded skit. The night was filled with memories from the year, clips from their previous New Year's Eve broadcasts, and a video of Griffin doing the Ice Bucket Challenge nude. Griffin spray tanned Anderson's face.

2016

Cooper and Griffin returned for their tenth year on December 31, 2016. The program aired from 8 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Eastern time. Reporters included Richard Quest (Times Square); Don Lemon and

(New Orleans); Nischelle Turner (Nashville); Gary Tuchman and Lindsay Tuchman (Miami); Randi Kaye (cruise ship) and Lynn Smith (Dallas). Lemon and Baldwin took over as hosts at 12:30 a.m. to cover the central time zone countdown.

Keith Urban Keith Lionel Urban ( né Urbahn; 26 October 1967) is an Australian and American country singer, songwriter and guitarist. Recognised with four Grammy Awards, he has also received 15 Academy of Country Music Awards, including the Jim Reeves Int ...

performed. Cooper and Griffin received well-wishes from numerous celebrities, including

Sharon Stone Sharon Vonne Stone (born March 10, 1958) is an American actress and film producer. Known for primarily playing femmes fatales and women of mystery on film and television, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1990s. She is the ...

Dave Grohl David Eric Grohl (; born January 14, 1969) is an American musician. He founded the rock band Foo Fighters, of which he is the lead singer, guitarist, principal songwriter, and only consistent member. From 1990 to 1994, he was the drummer of th ...

Josh Groban Joshua Winslow Groban (born February 27, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. His first four solo albums have been certified multi-platinum, and he was charted in 2007 as the number-one best selling artist in the United States, ...

, Kristin Chenoweth, and Ron Jeremy.

Megan Mullally Megan Mullally (born November 12, 1958) is an American actress. She is best known for playing Karen Walker in the NBC sitcom '' Will & Grace'' (1998–2006, 2017–2020), for which she received eight Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outst ...

and

Nick Offerman Nicholas David Offerman (born June 26, 1970) is an American actor. He became widely known for his role as Ron Swanson in the NBC sitcom '' Parks and Recreation'' (2009–2015), for which he received the Television Critics Association Award fo ...

sent a video clip in which both appeared to be naked, inviting the duo to "join us in our bed...for some sex." Griffin wrapped Cooper in aluminium foil to celebrate their tenth anniversary together (tin/aluminum foil is the "traditional" 10th anniversary gift). With Griffin's typical antics muted, the critical attention for the night focused on Don Lemon, who during his on-air segments was drunk, and at one point during the evening, had one of his ears pieced on live television.

's simulcast of the event was significantly cut back to give way to breaking news coverage of the Istanbul nightclub shooting, with Cyril Vanier anchoring from the

CNN Center The Center, formerly and still commonly called the CNN Center, is the former international headquarters of U.S. cable network CNN in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The main newsrooms and studios for several of CNN's news channels were located ...

in Atlanta. CNNI joined ''New Year's Eve Live'' at 11:00 PM ET.

2017, firing of Griffin and her replacement

In May 2017, Griffin was fired from the program and CNN after she had released a controversial publicity photo which depicted her with an effigy of the severed head of U.S. president

. In October 2017,

, who had previously co-hosted

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

's '' New Year's Eve with Carson Daly'' for 2016, and has collaborated with Cooper on a storytelling tour, was named as Cooper's new co-host. The broadcast featured a series of field segments by Randi Kaye on a New Year's Eve " pot bus" tour in

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

. The tour included stops at a grow house and a "paint and puff" party, while Kaye was seen helping light a reveler's gas mask

bong A bong (also known as a water pipe) is a filtration device generally used for smoking cannabis, tobacco, or other herbal substances. In the bong shown in the photo, the smoke flows from the lower port on the left to the upper port on the right ...

after briefly explaining the item, and passing a

joint A joint or articulation (or articular surface) is the connection made between bones, ossicles, or other hard structures in the body which link an animal's skeletal system into a functional whole.Saladin, Ken. Anatomy & Physiology. 7th ed. McGraw- ...

along to other revelers at the aforementioned painting party. Cooper discussed the segments in an appearance on ''

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert ''The Late Show with Stephen Colbert'' is an American late-night talk show, late-night news satire, news and liberal political satire talk show hosted by Stephen Colbert, which premiered on September 8, 2015. Produced by Stephen Colbert, Spartin ...

'' afterward, acknowledging that "the whole thing surprised me as much as anybody else", but pointed out that the activities seen were legal in Colorado, and that Kaye did not actually smoke any cannabis (although Colbert suggested that she may have had second hand exposure, and jokingly asked Cooper if he received a "

contact high Contact high is a phenomenon that occurs in otherwise sober people who experience a drug-like effect just by coming into contact with someone who is under the influence of a psychoactive drug. In a similar way to the ''placebo effect'', a conta ...

from Randi Kaye").

2018

returned for a second year to host with

. Guests included

Patti LaBelle Patricia Louise Holte (born May 24, 1944), known professionally as Patti LaBelle, is an American Rhythm and blues, R&B singer and actress. She has been referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Godmother of Soul". LaBelle began ...

Gwen Stefani Gwen Renée Stefani Shelton ( ; born October 3, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter and fashion designer. Stefani rose to fame as a member and lead vocalist of the band No Doubt, whose hit singles include " Just a Girl", " Spiderwebs", an ...

Dave Chappelle David Khari Webber Chappelle ( ; born August 24, 1973) is an American stand-up comedy, stand-up comedian and actor. He starred in and co-created the satirical comedy sketch series ''Chappelle's Show'' (2003–2006) before quitting in the middle ...

, Dead & Company, and

Jack Black Thomas Jacob "Jack" Black (born August 28, 1969) is an American actor, comedian, and musician. He is known for roles in family and comedy films, in addition to his voice work in animated films. His awards include a Children's and Family Emmy ...

. During the show, the Times Square Alliance (the

business improvement district A business improvement district (BID) is a defined area within whichever businesses elect to pay an additional fee (or assessment) in order to fund projects within the district's boundaries. A BID is not a tax, as taxes fund the government. BID f ...

for the area) asked Cohen to take down his umbrella so that it wouldn't obstruct the shots of other media outlets sharing the riser space. Cohen complained on-air that they had been targeted, pointed out other outlets were able to keep their umbrellas up, and stated that the Alliance threatened to pull CNN's credentials for the following year.

2019

Cohen and Cooper once again hosted from Times Square, with Randi Kaye reporting from

, and Baldwin and Lemon reporting from Nashville.

Cheri Oteri Cheryl Ann Oteri (; born September 19, 1962) is an American actress and comedian. A Primetime Emmy Award nominee, she is best known for her tenure as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1995 to 2000. Earl ...

made a guest appearance, reprising her

Barbara Walters Barbara Jill Walters (September 25, 1929December 30, 2022) was an American broadcast journalist and television personality. Known for her interviewing ability and popularity with viewers, she appeared as a host of numerous television programs, ...

impersonation from ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...

'', as a nod to one of Walters' introduction to the newsmagazine '' 20/20'' (the real Walters had not appeared in public since 2016.)

2020

Cohen and Cooper hosted from a sparsely populated, socially-distanced Times Square, with Baldwin and Lemon hosting for other time zones from Lemon's house (an "undisclosed location.")

reprised her guest appearance as "

", Bill Weir got a tattoo on the air, Gary Tuchman and Lindsay Tuchman appeared from a ski slope, Richard Quest reported from Times Square, Randi Kaye reported from a Florida dog shelter, and Ana Cabrera reported from a socially distanced dance party atop

30 Hudson Yards 30 Hudson Yards (also known during construction as the North Tower) is a supertall skyscraper on the West Side of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Located near Hell's Kitchen, Chelsea, and the Penn Station area, the building is part of ...

, where CNN maintains its New York studios. Guests and performers included

Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter, and actress. Frequently referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Princess of Pop", she has achieved recognition in both the music industry and fas ...

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. ( ; born October 20, 1971), better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg), is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Rooted in West Coast hip-hop, he is widely regarded as one of t ...

John Mayer John Clayton Mayer ( ; born October 16, 1977) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, but he left for Atlanta in 1997 with fellow guitarist Clay Cook, with whom he formed the short-liv ...

Gloria Gaynor Gloria Fowles (born September 7, 1943), known professionally as Gloria Gaynor, is an American singer, best known for the disco era hits "I Will Survive" (1978), "I Have a Right, Let Me Know (I Have a Right)" (1979), "I Am What I Am (Broadway mus ...

, Leslie Jordan,

Jimmy Buffett James William Buffett (December 25, 1946 – September 1, 2023) was an American singer-songwriter, author, and businessman. He was known for his tropical rock sound and persona, which often portrayed a lifestyle described as "island escapis ...

, and Desus & Mero. After midnight, Cohen criticized then mayor

Bill de Blasio Bill de Blasio (; born Warren Wilhelm Jr., May 8, 1961; later Warren de Blasio-Wilhelm) is an American politician who was the List of mayors of New York City, 109th mayor of New York City, mayor of New York City from 2014 to 2021. A member of t ...

, telling him to "Do something with this city".

2021

Crowds returned to Times Square, as did Cohen and Cooper. Lemon was joined in New Orleans at a parade with Alisyn Camerota (Baldwin had departed the network earlier that year), and comedian Dulcé Sloan. Other correspondents included Stephanie Elam in Las Vegas, Randi Kaye in Key West, Richard Quest performing the CityClimb atop 30 Hudson Yards, Chloe Melas from Times Square, Donie O’Sullivan at Hudson Hound, an Irish bar in the

West Village The West Village is a neighborhood in the western section of the larger Greenwich Village neighborhood of Lower Manhattan, New York City. The West Village is bounded by the Hudson River to the west and 14th Street (Manhattan), 14th Street to ...

, and Gary and Lindsay Tuchman in

San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan ( , ; Spanish for "Saint John the Baptist, John") is the capital city and most populous Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality in the Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the ...

for the city's 500th anniversary. Cheri Oteri reprised her role as Barbara Walters. Other guests included

, Amanda Gorman,

Katy Perry Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. She is one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling music artists in hist ...

(from her

Play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...

residency at Resorts World Las Vegas),

William Shatner William Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor. In a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, from his 1966 debut as the captain of the starship USS Enterpri ...

, Leslie Jordan, and

Earth, Wind & Fire Earth, Wind & Fire (abbreviated as EW&F or EWF) is an American band formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1969. Their music spans multiple genres, including jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, Latin and Afro-pop. They are among the best-selling ba ...

. Shortly after midnight, Cohen re-iterated his disdain for outgoing mayor Bill de Blasio, and celebrated the inauguration of

Eric Adams Eric Leroy Adams (born September 1, 1960) is an American politician and former police officer who has served as the 110th mayor of New York City since 2022. Adams was an officer in the New York City Transit Police and then the New York City P ...

. Cohen had also criticized

Ryan Seacrest Ryan John Seacrest (born December 24, 1974) is an American television presenter and producer. Seacrest is the host of '' Wheel of Fortune'', having hosted since replacing long-time host Pat Sajak in September 2024. Seacrest co-hosted and ser ...

, host of ''New Year's Rockin' Eve'' (arguing that people who watched the special instead of ''New Year's Eve Live'' were "watching nothing"), for which he later apologized. During central time coverage, Lemon responded to attacks he faces, saying in part "You can kiss my behind, I do not care. I don’t care. Sloan also attracted attention for stating that there will be "no more broke dick," referring to a man without money.

2022

During an internal town hall in November 2022, the new head of CNN,

Chris Licht Christopher Andrew Licht (born October 22, 1971) is an American television newsman and producer. He is best known as the showrunner and executive producer of ''The Late Show With Stephen Colbert'', as well as CBS's executive vice president of sp ...

announced that Cooper and Cohen are planned to host once again. He also stated that on-air personnel would no longer be allowed to drink during the program, but the co-hosts were to be exempt from this new edict. In response to this, Cohen promised to "party harder than ever before." Cooper and Cohen elected to not drink during the telecast, setting up a recurring segment featuring the co-hosts taking "mystery shots" of non-alcoholic drinks throughout the night, ranging from pickle juice, to

buttermilk Buttermilk is a fermented dairy drink. Traditionally, it was the liquid left behind after churning butter out of cultured cream. As most modern butter in Western countries is not made with cultured cream but uncultured sweet cream, most mode ...

and apple cider vinegar. On location in New Orleans, Don Lemon missed midnight in the Central Time Zone; the telecast at that point showed a split screen of scenes from the party and of Nashville's music note drop, with no commentary. For the first time, CNN also broadcast live coverage from a celebration in the

Mountain Time Zone The Mountain Time Zone of North America keeps time by subtracting seven hours from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) when standard time ( UTC−07:00) is in effect, and by subtracting six hours during daylight saving time ( UTC−06:00). The ...

(2:00 a.m. ET), with Gary and Lindsay Tuchman covering

Boise Boise ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 census, there were 235,685 people residing in the city. Located on the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and nor ...

Idaho Potato The potato () is a starchy tuberous vegetable native to the Americas that is consumed as a staple food in many parts of the world. Potatoes are underground stem tubers of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'', a perennial in the nightshade famil ...

drop. For this year's edition,

's own non-stop coverage of the global celebrations were formally integrated for the first time under the ''New Year's Eve Live'' banner from 8:00 AM Eastern (9:00 PM Hong Kong/Manila) as a lead in to the simulcast of Cooper and Cohen from Times Square. Kristie Lu Stout and Isa Soares anchored from Hong Kong and London respectively

2023

The special featured guest appearances by Bridget Everett, Eva Longoria,

(who appeared from a cat café in

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, much to Cooper's amusement), Jeremy Renner,

Henry Winkler Henry Franklin Winkler (born October 30, 1945) is an American actor, producer, director, and author. Widely known as Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli on the sitcom ''Happy Days'' (1974–1984), Winkler has distinguished himself as a character acto ...

, and Bowen Yang. Cooper and Cohen returned to drinking alcohol during the telecast, taking a

tequila Tequila (; ) is a liquor, distilled beverage made from the blue agave plant, primarily in the area surrounding the city of Tequila, Jalisco, Tequila northwest of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Guadalajara, and in the Jaliscan Highlands (''Los Altos (Jal ...

shot at the top of each hour. Cohen continued his apparent feud with Ryan Seacrest, while the co-hosts revealed to Cohen's parents that they've never needed to go to the bathroom during the special (albeit noting that there was a

portable toilet A portable or mobile toilet (colloquial terms: thunderbox, porta-john, porta-potty or porta-loo) is any type of toilet that can be moved around, some by one person, some by mechanical equipment such as a truck and crane. Most types do not require ...

available nearby). The Mountain Time coverage originated from

Las Cruces, New Mexico Las Cruces (; ; lit. 'the crosses') is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico and the county seat, seat of Doña Ana County, New Mexico, Doña Ana County. As of the 2020 United States ce ...

chili pepper Chili peppers, also spelled chile or chilli ( ), are varieties of fruit#Berries, berry-fruit plants from the genus ''Capsicum'', which are members of the nightshade family Solanaceae, cultivated for their pungency. They are used as a spice to ...

drop.

2024

The 2024–25 edition featured performances by

50 Cent Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and television producer. Born in Queens, a borough of New York City, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 1996. In 1999–2000, ...

(from

Planet Hollywood Las Vegas Planet Hollywood Las Vegas (formerly the Aladdin) is a casino hotel on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, Paradise, Nevada, United States. It is owned and operated by Caesars Entertainment. The resort includes a casino and 2,494 hotel r ...

Diplo Thomas Wesley Pentz (born November 10, 1978), known professionally as Diplo, is an American DJ and music producer. He is a co-creator and lead member of the electronic dancehall music project Major Lazer; a member of the supergroup LSD (group), ...

Lil Jon Jonathan H. Smith (born January 17, 1971), better known by his stage name Lil Jon, is an American rapper, DJ, and record producer. Regarded as a progenitor of the club-oriented hip-hop subgenre crunk, his production and voice presence were inst ...

Meghan Trainor Meghan Elizabeth Trainor (born December 22, 1993) is an American singer-songwriter and television personality. She rose to prominence after signing with Epic Records in 2014 and releasing her debut single "All About That Bass", which reached ...

Shania Twain Eilleen Regina "Shania" Twain ( ; born August 28, 1965) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. She has sold over 100 million records, making her one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling music artists of all time and the best-sel ...

, and Sting. Sara Sidner, Harry Enten, and Cari Champion hosted Central Time coverage from Auditorium Shores in

Austin Austin refers to: Common meanings * Austin, Texas, United States, a city * Austin (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin Motor Company, a British car manufac ...

, and Gary Tuchman hosted Mountain Time coverage from

Prescott, Arizona Prescott ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Yavapai County, Arizona, United States. As of 2020 United States census, 2020 Census, the city's population was 45,827. In 1864, Prescott was designated as the capital of the Arizona Territory, r ...

's boot drop. During an interview, Cohen dubbed actor

Jon Hamm Jonathan Daniel Hamm (born March 10, 1971) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Don Draper in the period drama series '' Mad Men'' (2007–2015), for which he won numerous accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award and tw ...

the "male

Nicole Kidman Nicole Mary Kidman (born 20 June 1967) is an Australian and American actress and producer. Known for Nicole Kidman on screen and stage, her work in film and television productions across many genres, she has consistently ranked among the world ...

" due to his workload, to which he agreed. After being asked by Cohen about the most "conventional" place he had ever done

LSD Lysergic acid diethylamide, commonly known as LSD (from German ; often referred to as acid or lucy), is a semisynthetic, hallucinogenic compound derived from ergot, known for its powerful psychological effects and serotonergic activity. I ...

, Diplo revealed that he had microdosed the hallucinogen while on a helicopter ride to the

Avalon Hollywood Avalon (or Avalon Hollywood) is a historic nightclub in Hollywood, California, located near the intersection of Hollywood and Vine, at 1735 N. Vine Street. It has previously been known as The Hollywood Playhouse, The WPA Federal Theatre, El Ca ...

before going on-air.

Ratings

The episode from December 31, 2008, rated as the top New Year's Eve program on cable. However, for 2009–2011, the program fell to second behind

Fox News Channel The Fox News Channel (FNC), commonly known as Fox News, is an American multinational conservative news and political commentary television channel and website based in New York City, U.S. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is ow ...

's "All American New Years." In 2011, CNN slightly edged FNC in the key demographics. In 2013, the show saw a 40% drop in its audience. In 2015, the program was the No. 1 cable news program in total viewers in the half-hour leading up to midnight.CNN Draws Most Cable News Viewers on New Year’s Eve
/ref>

References

{{New Year 2000s American television news shows 2000s American television specials 2010s American television news shows 2010s American television specials 2001 American television series debuts American annual television specials Television shows presented by Anderson Cooper CNN original programming Kathy Griffin New Year's television specials Television shows filmed in New York City