How Andy Cohen really feels about creating his own headlines

At the risk of sounding like a Real Housewives slogan when Andy Cohen talking, people listening. This is true when he hosts Watch What Happens Live and Bravo reunions, and that’s especially true for his SiriusXM show, where he has time to dig into everything from Evil to Bravolebrity brouhahas.

“There are things I say that the audience doesn’t agree with,” says Cohen, 56. Our from his Andy Cohen Live withstudio in NYC. “It was a while ago The Vanderpump Rules where I said (on the radio) ‘Lala (Kent) is a voice the reason for this season.’ People played the clip for months and they were all over me.”

During the daytime broadcast on Radio Andy (Channel 102, 10 a.m.), Cohen and cohost John Hill — also his ex-boyfriend, more on that later — “make a lot of pop culture news,” he says. “And we’re thinking about that too. Whatever’s going on in pop culture, it’s going to be broken down here.” And v Andy Cohen Live, that often means the latest in the Bravo universe.

Cohen is the first to admit that it can be difficult to navigate when he wears so many hats in reality TV (he also produces Housewives franchise). “Sometimes I mess up, but I think I’m smart,” Cohen says, adding, “(Radio) is also where I talk more as a producer than anywhere else. It’s a great opportunity for me to provide background and explain my point of view.”

The people they talk about on air may respond in the media – or they may even respond directly. “I remember Teresa (judge) He called me about something I said, but I was like, ‘Teresa, did you hear the clip? Let me explain,’” Cohen recalls The Real Housewives of New Jersey star. “And she said, ‘Oh my God, I get the context now.’

On December 2, he addressed VPR again, telling listeners, “Bravo announced, or word got around, that they are remaking the showand I have to say, that’s absolutely the right thing to do in the first place.” No, he’s not a producer on this particular show, but fans looked up to him—as did a lot of celebrities. Without naming names, he confirmed that his phone blew up when news of the season 12 recast broke. “(The response was) mostly sadness and ‘Oh, my God,'” he says. “Then I have to say: Look, it’s the way it’s supposed to be.”

How does it feel to have his opinions sought out and passed on? “If it’s a good headline, I’m happy for it. If it’s a bad headline, it annoys me as much as anyone else,” says Cohen. “We have a lot of air time. We (often) only talk to John. Anything that could be said could either end up in the headlines or (laughs) come back to bite me.”

He doesn’t do it alone

The secret sauce to Andy Cohen Live could be cohost Hill. “I can’t imagine too many exes hosting something together— Sonny and Cher guested after they got divorced — but I think it’s interesting for listeners to hear John completely overshadow me,” Cohen admits. “Or they’ll knock me down so completely that no one else would go there. Even Jeff Lewis.”

And when Hill gets his way Housewives disputes — lately, a back-and-forth exchange with an ex RHOC star Kelly Dodd — Cohen lets him fight his own battles. “That was between John and her. I sat it out and he quickly apologized,” he said. “At Radio Andy, I’m proud of everyone in the family for what each person has built, because everyone has come to it with their own personality and perspective. And they’ve all built their own followings and their own little universes on the channel.”

Ah, back to Jeff Lewis – another personality under the Radio Andy umbrella on SiriusXM. His notes on Jeff Lewis live have become storylines for several Bravo series this year, including Real Housewives of Orange County and The Real Housewives of New York City, which Cohen acknowledges plays a role in why the show is breaking the fourth wall now.

“It’s weird that the tentacles of the housewives reached him and he got on the show,” Cohen says of the “outspoken” and “provocative” host. So open that Lewis hears from his boss? Not unless Cohen wants to be part of this story. “It’s going to take me a long time to get involved because I’m burnt out,” he says. “He was reading my messages in the air!”

It’s there too Dorinda Medleythe only ex-housewife on the channel. “I wouldn’t have done it if she was still on Housewives. It would create some potential problems,” says Cohen. “He has a very unique perspective. She was in the game. She is also a fan. She is very savvy. She is confident, so she works on many levels.’

Outside of the Bravo universe, Radio Andy has talents as a journalist Gayle Kingwhich “brings a totally legitimate take on pop culture to the radio,” says Cohen; actress Sandra Bernhard; the Smith sisters (“spreading pop culture like no other”) and perhaps the most popular addition to the last social media influencer’s team Tinx. “When Tinx is on, the phone lines are absolutely blocked.” She gives the best relationship advice—people really want to hear it,” says Cohen. (Our he witnessed the calls rolling in before Tinx’s broadcast even started.) It’s time to make your own subtitles, Tinx!

Hey Mr. DJ

While music is included Andy Cohen live — just three minutes before airing during a visit to Us, Cohen confirms to his producer that Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir” is the choice to open a particular Wednesday show — it’s the main event on his own SiriusXM channel, Andy Cohen’s Kiki Lounge . “During Covid I spent many nights searching for my most perfect 600 or so songs,” he says Our. “It’s just songs that touch me, songs that I have a story about (and) songs that have affected me in my life.”

The song she can’t get enough of: Cohen adds and subtracts from the Kiki Lounge lineup “all the time.” His latest obsession: Troye Sivan“One of your girls.

Song He Overdid: He should Sabrina CarpenterStaying “Espresso” in 2024? “It’s a great song, but it’s such an annoying earworm at the moment.

Song of the Summer: “I was a brat this summer,” Cohen happily declares, referencing the title track Charli XCX’with a critical favorite. “I love the album.

Holiday Song: Cohen’s favorite classical tune is “Christmas Wrapping” by Waitresses, but he’s also a fan of Mariah Carey“All I want for Christmas is you.” Our as a matter of fact: “Mariah is the Queen of Christmas for everyone.”

A song for his children to listen to: Son Ben, 5, “loves ‘Life Is a Highway’ CarsCohen reveals. When asked if he feels the same way about the Rascal Flatts cover from the 2006 animated film, he simply replies, “No.”

The song that makes him cry: Coldplay’s “Warning Song” still manages to get him in the mood, as he considers it his “breakup song” from co-host Hill.

A song that is a hit with the family: Cohen beams as he reports that Ben and daughter Lucy, 2, are on board with his commitment Madonnanamed “Hung Up” as the No. 1 family track. 1. But when they get stuck in traffic (as often documented on Cohen’s Instagram Stories), his target is the Grateful Dead.