Andy Cohen is giving credit where it’s due when it comes to that viral cat café moment with pal John Mayer on New Year’s Eve.
“He was going to be joining us from Tokyo and I said, ‘Look, we will set you up in your hotel.’ And he said, ‘I’d love to go somewhere more fun, like a cat café.’ And I was like, ‘Okay, well lemme see if we can find one,’” Cohen, 55, exclusively tells Us Weekly on Tuesday, January 9, while promoting Walmart’s “Save Your Resolutions” campaign.
Once CNN found a café for Mayer to phone in from, Cohen says he gave Anderson Cooper a heads up about the hilarious location ahead of their CNN New Year’s Eve Live special.
“I told Anderson a few times, ‘Hey, John’s going to be at a cat cafe,’ but I think he tunes me out sometimes, so I think that’s why it was immediately so funny to him,” Cohen recalls. “And also the cats’ butts were in John’s face the whole time. I think just that visual was so funny.”
The internet went into a frenzy when Cooper, 56, erupted into a fit of giggles as Mayer, 46, joined the special from inside a cat café and was surrounded by felines — some of which had their butts in Mayer’s face.
“This doesn’t look sanitary, John,” Cohen said during the broadcast, while Cooper exclaimed, “John, there’s cats everywhere.”
Mayer appeared not to be fazed by their alarming reactions, replying, “I believe it passes all health codes. I think it’s just fine.”
He continued, “There are cats. Yeah. This is a place you can come, enjoy a drink or two and talk to cats. It’s a cat bar. I don’t know how much more clear I can be about this objective of this place.”
While Mayer certainly grabbed the attention of many cats, he has yet to settle down with a special someone. When it comes to setting him up with Real Housewives of New York star Brynn Whitfield, Cohen isn’t so sure if the pair would be a good match.
“Well, I tried to set her up with Tyler Cameron,” Cohen recalls, before adding that “it’s not the worst idea” to play matchmaker for Whitfield, 36, and Mayer. “I can’t see John dating someone on a reality show, though.”
As Cohen debates the idea, he adds that Whitfield has “got it all” and is “really smart.”
“I think [Mayer] wants someone as smart and as clever as she is and she’s certainly beautiful,” he says. “So … interesting.”
When he’s not playing cupid, Cohen is teaming up with Walmart+ for their “Save Your Resolutions” campaign.
“I spent a lot of time thinking about, ‘What are my resolutions going to be?’ and I, like millions of Americans, ditch mine every year,” he says. “So we’re trying to get you to save your resolutions, and if you sign up with Walmart+, it’s kind of the ultimate savings membership. It saves you time and money on things like free grocery delivery, free shipping, discounted fuel, all these ways to help kind of kickstart and save your resolutions.”
Reporting by Christina Garibaldi
