A proud host. Despite what Andy Cohen thought of ABC’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, the special dominated the competition, ratings-wise — and host Ryan Seacrest couldn’t be happier.
The American Idol host, 47, posted a screenshot of an article about Rockin’ Eve‘s ratings win to his Instagram Stories on Wednesday, January 5. According to The Wrap, the Friday, December 31, show was the highest-rated New Year’s Eve special on TV with 19.6 million viewers — triple the amount that watched Miley Cyrus and Pete Davidson on Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party. The evening also gave Rockin’ Eve its most viewers in four years.
“Thank you to everyone who made this year’s #RockinEve another success!” Seacrest wrote on Wednesday in a post shared via Instagram. “To all those who tuned in, to my amazing co-hosts @lizakoshy, @ciara, @theebillyporter, @roselyn_sanchez, as well as the incredible artists and the crew who made the 50th Anniversary so special. We couldn’t have done it without you!”
News of the special’s success came days after Cohen, 53, admitted that he regretted mocking Rockin’ Eve during his own New Year’s Eve broadcast cohosted with Anderson Cooper. During CNN’s New Year’s Eve Live, the Bravo exec used the phrase “Ryan Seacrest’s group of losers” to describe the musical guests performing on Rockin’ Eve.
“I’m sorry but if you’re watching ABC, you’re watching nothing,” the Superficial author said. “We were doused with confetti from fake Journey on ABC. If it’s not Steve Perry, it doesn’t count! You get it? It’s not Journey! It’s propaganda! It’s propaganda! It’s not Journey! It’s not Journey! No, that was not Journey. Steve Perry is Journey.”
Three days later, however, the Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen host said his comments about Seacrest were the one thing he wished he could take back about the evening.
“The only thing that I regret saying, the only thing is that I slammed the ABC broadcast and I really like Ryan Seacrest and he’s a great guy,” he said during the Monday, January 3, episode of his Andy Cohen Live SiriusXM show. “And I really regret saying that, and I was just stupid and drunk and feeling it.”
Though rumors circulated that CNN fired Cohen after his rants about Journey and former New York City mayor Bill de Blasio, the network later denied the reports. “Andy said something he shouldn’t have on live TV,” the network told E! News on Monday. “We’ve addressed it with him and look forward to having him back again next year.”
CNN’s NYE special, meanwhile, was No. 1 among its cable competition, averaging 2.1 million viewers for the evening.
