Summary
- Andy Cohen openly discusses cancel culture and admits to constantly feeling at risk of being canceled due to today's sensitive audience.
- Despite controversy, Cohen enjoys being provocative and spontaneous, finding it makes him feel alive despite the risks.
- Multiple Bravolebrities have accused Cohen of creating a poor workplace culture, but investigations have found the claims unsubstantiated.
The king of Bravo, Andy Cohen, did a raw interview with Vulture where he shared his honest views on cancel culture. The late-night host admitted to “always waiting” to be canceled because of today’s more sensitive audience.
According to Bravo, Cohen started with the network in 2004, and has since been a part of legendary shows like Top Chef and The Real Housewives. As the face of Bravo, Cohen has had his ups and downs with Bravolebrities. In 2023 and 2024, Cohen ran into some legal issues when former Housewives (Brandi Glanville and Leah McSweeney) accused Cohen of poor workplace culture. Although the investigation found Cohen in the clear, he’s always waiting for a slip-up. Continue reading to see why Andy Cohen is waiting to be canceled, more information on his lawsuits with a few Housewives, and some of his more insensitive moments on Watch What Happens Live.
Andy Cohen Blasted Cancel Culture In An Honest Interview After His Legal Scandal
In an interview with Vulture, Andy Cohen expressed his fascination with cancel culture. As an open and honest late-night host and producer, he’s bound to slip up and say the wrong thing.
“It’s fascinating to me, the idea that you could say something and everything would be pulled away from you,”
Cohen continued saying you have to be “smart” about the things you say publicly because “People are just waiting to be outraged by every little thing.”
As a late-night talk show host who records live, Cohen admits that as fun as the job is, it comes with a lot of responsibility. Saying the right thing all the time and being politically correct can weigh heavy on the head.
“Sometimes at night, I’ll be in bed, and I’ll think, 'Huh, did I say something.' I’m always waiting for the thing that’s going to make it all fall down."
Despite having a lot of responsibility as the host of Watch What Happens Live and the producer of multiple popular Bravo shows, Cohen enjoys the wild side and talking about scandalous topics and conversations. It's what makes Bravo a successful network.
“I like being provocative. It makes me feel alive in a weird way. It’s dangerous. It’s spontaneous. I think it sometimes gets to the heart of who a person is,” Cohen explained. It's all about the tone, delivery, and the audience.
Despite living dangerously with a pocket full of precaution, Cohen has still found himself in hot water with a few of the famous women he worked closely with for years.
As the executive producer of The Real Housewives franchise, Andy Cohen is heavily involved in the ins and outs of all eight cities. Cohen is also the host of the post-season reunions, which get as much excitement as the seasons.
Because of Cohen's involvement in the franchise, he has become close friends with many of the Housewives. In 2022, Cohen told The Hollywood Reporter that he's closest with those that have been with the series the longest. “The ones that I’ve been with the longest are the ones with whom I have the deepest relationships," the talk show host said. "Orange County started 16 years ago. How long I’ve known Luann de Lesseps, Teresa Giudice, and Kandi Burruss is wild. Those are people that I consider colleagues. I have great respect for them."
However, Cohen has also been in the headlines for his issues with former Housewives. From allegations of drug use to favoritism, Cohen defended himself against former friends and colleagues.
| Nene Leakes | One of Cohen’s first public feuds with a Housewife was with The Real Housewives of Atlanta’s Nene Leakes. As an important part of RHOA, Bravo fans were shocked when she did re-join the series for Season 13. According to Deadline, Leakes and the network couldn’t agree on contract terms. Not long after, Leakes sued Cohen and Bravo for “unfair treatment.” This was the start of many allegations against Andy Cohen. Leakes eventually dropped the suit, but she and Cohen have never been the same. Leakes is open to coming back to RHOA, but those talks have not been current as the series continues on without her. |
| Bethenny Frankel | Bethenny Frankel was an original Housewife from The Real Housewives of New York. An important part of the series from Seasons 1 through 11, she eventually ended her time with the Housewives when she wanted to spend more time with her daughter, as reported by People. Unfortunately, once she left Bravo, Frankel went on a raid against Cohen, reality TV, and Bravo. According to Reality Tea, Frankel called the show "toxic." After more thought and time away from the show, Frankel hated that Cohen was always "protected" by the network and his favorite Housewives, while others get "skinned alive." Now that Frankel's time on the network is over, she's gone through a "reality reckoning," where she interviews fellow reality TV stars to talk about their issues with being in the public eye. |
| Leah McSweeney | Leah McSweeney was another Real Housewives of New York alumnus who lasted just two seasons. After her second season, RHONY got a reboot and McSweeney wasn't asked back. Many Bravo fans felt she was upset about not having a place on the TV roster, thus unleashing issues she had with Andy Cohen and Bravo. In February 2024, McSweeney launched a lawsuit against Cohen and Bravo for discrimination and inappropriate workplace culture, as reported by People. McSweeney claimed she was "pressured" to drink alcohol, even though she was sober. She did not feel that the network protected her or took her "alcohol use disorder" or "mental health disorder" into consideration. McSweeney then went against Cohen, alleging inappropriate drug use. She mentioned Cohen "engages in cocaine use with Housewives and other 'Bravolebrities' that he employs." A representative for Cohen denied all allegations. |
| Brandi Glanville | Around the same time Leah McSweeney filed her lawsuit, former The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Brandi Glanville threatened to sue Andy Cohen and the network for similar behavior. Entertainment Tonight reported that Glanville's lawyers threatened to sue Cohen and NBC for misconduct. In the letter, Glanville alleged that — as her boss — Cohen sent an inappropriate video to her in 2022. Cohen "boasted of his intention to sleep with another Bravo star that night while thinking of her and invited her to watch via Facetime." Cohen made a public apology and admitted the invitation was made in "jest" and Glanville was in on the joke at the time it was made. In the summer of 2024, an investigation was launched against Cohen and the network because of the claims by the Housewives. Cohen was cleared of all allegations. |
A spokesperson for Bravo told Deadline that the lies against Cohen were unsubstantial.
“The outside investigation into the recent allegations made by Brandi Glanville and Leah McSweeney against Andy Cohen has now been completed, and the claims were found to be unsubstantiated."
As the King of Bravo, many Bravolebrities came to Cohen's defense during the public allegations. From interviews to social media posts, reality stars boasted about the kind of man, father, and professional Cohen was.
Andy Cohen's More Insensitive Questions Could Lead To Getting Canceled
Although Andy Cohen is "fascinated" by cancel culture and is waiting to be canceled by Bravo fans, he still gets away with insensitive and shocking questions to his guests. From legendary movie stars to Bravolebrities, Cohen gives audiences what they want, despite the bold questions.
| Wendy Williams | In the past, Wendy Williams was a talented host and woman in the media. Unfortunately, Williams hit a rough patch as of late after being diagnosed with Grave’s disease and addiction issues, as reported by USA Today. In her prime, however, she had a very public marriage to Kevin Hunter. Williams filed for divorce from Hunter, once she found out he was having an affair and had fathered a baby with his mistress. Because of the devastation, it surprised fans when Cohen mentioned the affair and love child on air. “How would you describe your relationship with the other woman and are you behind the Ferrari repo?” Williams was taken aback by the question. “I don’t know these people. I don’t know the baby, I don’t know the woman. I don’t know who Kevin became, I don’t know who I am! Get out of here, Andy.” |
| Mike Tyson | According to Today, in a 2012 episode of Watch What Happens Live, Cohen had legendary boxer Mike Tyson as a guest. Aside from boxing, Tyson is most known for biting a piece of Evander Holyfield’s ear off. It’s a moment that has followed Tyson’s career. While on WWHL, Cohen dug up some dirt when he asked the boxer what his ear tasted like. Tyson took Cohen’s words in jest, but it was a rather sensitive topic since Holyfield needed reconstructive surgery to heal. |
| Princess Kate Midleton | In the spring of 2024, theories ran wild when the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, had not been seen in the public eye for weeks. Memes and conspiracy theories ran rampant. Cohen joined the conversation and also made rash conclusions about Kate, like saying “That ain’t Kate” on a video of Princess Kate allegedly waking alongside Prince William. Unfortunately, BBC shared that Princess Kate was quietly fighting cancer and needed space to heal. Cohen was embarrassed by his jokes about the situation and apologized on his SiriusXM show. “I just want to say, I am heartbroken by the news about Princess Kate. I think someone on Sky News called me a ‘numpty’ during that whole conversation and they were right," Cohen said. |
| An Anonymous Famous Movie Star | Sometimes Cohen is so off the cuff that things happen behind the scenes of Watch What Happens Live without fans realizing it. In an episode of the podcast, Let’s Talk Off Camera, Cohen recalled the time a famous “movie star” almost walked off set. In the interview, Cohen reminisced when his executive producer warned him the movie star was about to leave “because she was furious with how it was going," as reported by People. Cohen later explained that she wanted to leave because of something he said. "I very stupidly brought up something ... about as we were going the commercial break that I guess was very sensitive to this person.” The movie star was about to leave during the commercial break because she didn’t want the other guest knowing about it - and unfortunately, the second guest did. |
In June 2024, Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen celebrated its 15th year on TV. The monumental moment was celebrated by Bravo stars who adore and support Cohen, proving that he will continue to come on top despite his fears of being canceled.
