Cohen, 57, appeared on CNN’s annual New Year’s Eve special alongside co-host Anderson Cooper and actor B. J. Novak. During the show, Cohen held up a shot glass and launched into a rant about Adams just moments after the former mayor’s term ended.
In the clip, later shared by the New York Post, Cohen called Adams’ time in office “chaotic” and “horrible.” Novak jokingly compared the moment to Cohen’s past on-air criticism of another outgoing mayor.
Adams, 65, responded the next day with a sharp post on X. Sharing a link to coverage of the segment, he wrote, “My response to @Andy: AA. Another sloppy drunken rant.”
He went further, saying, “If anyone actually cares about him, they’ll tell him to get help. New Yorkers aren’t laughing with him. They are concerned about him. Public intoxication is a disease. He should seek help.”
Adams also defended his administration, adding that Cohen was “safe in Times Square because we did our job,” before ending his post with another jab: “Seek help. AAA: Andy’s Alcohol Anonymous.”
The exchange echoed a moment from 2021, when Cohen similarly criticized former Mayor Bill de Blasio on the same New Year’s Eve show as he was leaving office.
During Wednesday’s broadcast, Novak teased Cohen by saying, “Oh, are we going on a de Blasio-style rant!” Cohen replied by mentioning pardons, appearing to reference corruption charges against Adams that were dropped in April 2025. Adams was never found guilty of any wrongdoing.
As Cohen continued, Novak joked, “Andy! Andy! We’ve got to cut you off!” while Cooper tried to calm things down. Novak later suggested that Cohen “can’t help himself.”
Despite the pushback, Cohen kept going, saying, “Goodbye, Mayor Adams… we’ll fiddle with what we have, with what you’ve left us with.”
Earlier that day, Cohen had openly joked on X about drinking tequila during the broadcast. After midnight, he posted a photo on Instagram Stories showing himself dancing with a drink in hand.
The next day, Cohen reflected on the night, saying he had “a ball” on the show and admitted in an Instagram post that they were “a tad overserved (by me).”
The on-air rant and Adams’ blunt response quickly sparked debate online, once again putting CNN’s boozy New Year’s Eve tradition under the spotlight.
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