CNN’s new boss asks anchors not to drink during New Year’s Eve special: report

CNN head Chris Licht has asked the network’s anchors for its New Year’s Eve special not to consume alcohol on the air while the program is on, The Washington Post reported on Friday. 

The Post reported that a network source said Licht asked Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper, who will host coverage in New York, and Don Lemon, who will take over in New Orleans, not to drink, which will mark a change from previous years. 

Cohen went viral last year after he went on an apparently booze-fueled rant that included criticism of former New York Mayor Bill de Blasio (D). 

Lemon appeared to be intoxicated while getting his ear pierced on television during New Year’s in 2017, while Cooper said “it’s like burning your lungs” while taking a shot of tequila in 2019.

Licht first told employees that they should expect a more restrained New Year’s program during a company meeting in November, saying that he does not believe hosts taking shots builds credibility, the Post reported. 

Cohen joked during an appearance on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” earlier this month that his rant about de Blasio might be why hosts are not allowed to drink this year. 

The Post reported that several current and former CNN staffers said they support the change and thought some of the actions hosts have taken have gone too far. 

CNN did not make anyone involved with the New Year’s program this year available for an interview with the Post.