Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper opened up on their decades-long bond and their admiration of each other's fatherhood skills.
Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper are back with their fun antics as they host the much-awaited New Year's Eve Live 2026. The two TV hosts have garnered a dedicated fan following for their comic timing, who wait a year to watch the popular New Year's show. Many even skip their plans to go out and stay in to watch Andy and Anderson's banter. The duo has been doing it for two decades, and the audience has showered them with love each time. Amid the buzz around New Year's Eve Live 2026, the two of them opened up on their long-standing bond and fatherhood.
New Year's Eve Live hosts, Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper, gave a glimpse of their sweet friendship during a recent interview with Parade. Andy and Anderson have known each other since the 1960s; however, their friendship levelled up when they went to Brazil together, according to Anderson. Andy felt that their creative collaboration, which fans loved, brought them closer as friends. However, he began to view Anderson differently during the latter's 40th birthday. After that, they frequently went on trips together in the 90s and got even closer. "We did gravitate towards each other on these trips," Andy stated.
Both Andy and Anderson stated that their dynamics were absolutely the same off-camera as the fans see them on television and on speaking tours. Their on-screen ventures "are like our FaceTimes," as per Anderson. When Andy and Anderson were asked about their big fight at their Disney trip, they brushed it off, saying it was as "short-lived" as a "flash flood". Regarding what they talk about most, the friends shared that they don't discuss pop culture or politics; instead, they share details of their personal lives. They mostly talk about their kids and their work. Andy Cohen mentioned:
"We don't really talk about pop culture. We don't talk about politics...We really talk about our kids and personal stuff. We talk about our jobs, but it's not about the content of what we're doing."
Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper shared when they got close, what their usual banter was about, and they said some sweet words about each other's kids. For the unversed, both Andy and Anderson are fathers to two children, providing them with an additional ground for bonding. When asked about the personal highlight of 2025, both Andy and Anderson agreed on their Disney trip. "It was really great bonding with the kids," Andy stated.
Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper's kids are just as close to each other as their fathers. They often get to hang out together with Andy and Anderson. During a May 2020 episode of the SiriusXM Radio Andy show, the host, Andy Cohen, shared some sweet words for Anderson, shortly after he welcomed his first son, Wyatt. Andy stressed the struggles of becoming a single father as a gay man. He expressed happiness that Anderson finally brought home a "beautiful baby" after going through a lot. Recalling his feelings at that time, Andy mentioned:
"[Anderson's baby announcement] had me in a puddle of tears...you really have to jump through a lot of hoops to have a baby as a gay man. He went through a lot, and I'm just so happy that his son is so beautiful and happy and healthy. I've already seen Anderson light up and open up in new ways."
In a recent Parade interview, Anderson loves "watching him [Andy] be the dad that he is" and he thinks Andy's "amazing at it." He also highlights Andy's caring nature, sharing that he checked on everybody dear to him. Andy returned the compliment by calling Anderson "a great dad", who is also "kind" and "sensitive." Andy's words could be read as:
"I think he's [Andy's] a great dad. I think he is very loyal. He is very kind. He is incredibly sensitive in ways that people don't understand. And he is a man of both personal and journalistic integrity to a level that I don't think people would believe in a real way."
What are your thoughts on Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper's decades-long friendship? Let us know.
Also Read: Is Andy Cohen Married? Meet His 2 Children Amid 'New Year's Eve Live' 2026 With Anderson Cooper