Comedian Roy Wood Jr. appeared to refer to the former CNN anchor’s stormy departure from the network while refusing a shot of tequila during their New Year’s Eve show on Tuesday, December 31.
Wood Jr. was joined by his CNN colleagues Do I have news for you comedy stand at New Year’s Eve livehost Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper.
As has become tradition, Cooper and Cohen drank a number of shots of alcohol throughout the evening. Cohen pulled out a bottle of tequila and offered it to Wood Jr., Amber Ruffin and Michael Ian Black as they appeared on Tuesday’s segment.
“Oh, no!” Wood Jr., 46, said when Cohen, 56, offered the opportunity. “No, I don’t. The last black guy to drink on this network got fired. I’ll keep it with water for now. I need some stability.”
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Cohen and Cooper, 57, did not respond to Wood Jr.’s comment, with the former instead asking Black if he was livestreaming on his Instagram.
Wood Jr. he later re-shared a clip of the moment on Xu, writing, “I didn’t go catch me slipping into the Deuce-Five.”
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Wood Jr. appeared to refer to the firing of longtime CNN anchor Don Lemon in 2023, who appeared frequently as a correspondent on New Year’s Eve live show. Lemon was fired after 17 years at the network after several controversial comments and tense interviews. Ultimately, Lemon and CNN reportedly reached a $24.5 million separation agreement in 2024.
In an interview with PEOPLE, reflecting on his ouster last March, Lemon said, “Do I wish my exit from CNN had been different? Absolutely, but it is what it is, and I can’t go back and change the past. I don’t have a time machine.”
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Cohen and Cooper getting drunk has been a popular feature of CNN’s New Year’s Eve coverage for years, though they didn’t start the trend of celebrating the liquid. Back in 2016, Lemon got his ear pierced at a bar in New Orleans while appearing live on a New Year’s Eve special.
However, after Cohen made some controversial comments in 2021, the series was hit with a liquor ban.
The network dropped its ban on drinking in 2023, and Cohen and Cooper “responsibly” returned to shooting.
Wood Jr. on Tuesday he did not confirm who he was referring to, and CNN has not publicly responded to the remark.
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