Andy Cohen slams outgoing NYC mayor Eric Adams as ‘chaotic, horrible’ during live rant
CNN anchor rebukes departing official during New Year’s Eve broadcast from Times Square but concedes he ‘may have dented the rat population’
Andy Cohen lashed out at outgoing New York City mayor Eric Adams on New Year’s Eve, calling the Democrat’s four-year tenure “chaotic” and “horrible” and advising him to “go off in the sunset.”
Cohen was appearing live on CNN from Times Square to watch 2025 draw to a close alongside anchor Anderson Cooper and actor BJ Novak, as Adams, 65, served as master of ceremonies.
Looking ahead to the mayor stepping aside and his successor, Zohran Mamdani, being sworn in at midnight, Cohen turned to the camera and ranted: “I’d like to say, watching the final moments of Mayor Adams’ chaotic, horrible…
“I just want to say, I mean he’s got his pardons, he’s pardoned. Great, you got your pardons, go off in the sunset. We’ll, we’ll fiddle with what we have, with what you left us with.”
The presenter appeared to be alluding to a federal judge's April move to dismiss federal corruption charges against the former NYPD police captain, which bears no relation to a presidential pardon.
Cooper and Novak appeared unnerved by Cohen’s comments and attempted to steer him away from the subject, with Novak attempting to smooth things over by joking: “He can’t help himself.”
Undeterred, Cohen continued to address Adams: “You pardoned your way through four years, and all the clubs, we’ll see you there… I just want to say, goodbye Mayor Adams, you did it, you did it, you did it, didn’t you?”
The host did find one positive thing to say about the outgoing mayor, however, finding time to congratulate him on the founding of a new Office of Rodent Mitigation to control the Big Apple’s rat population.
“I will say this,” Cohen sneered. “I think he may have dented the rat population. I think he got rid of some of the rats, but isn’t that a metaphor of sorts?
“Let’s call it as it is, honestly. It is 2026 and there are less rats.”
According to The New York Post, the network has previously had to issue an on-air drinking ban due to over-exuberance by some of its New Year’s hosts.
The Post adds that Cohen has form when it comes to outbursts against mayors, fuming similarly about Bill de Blasio when he left office in 2022.
Cohen told the departing De Blasio to “do his victory lap dance after four years as the crappiest term of the mayor of New York.”
Cohen concluded by declaring, “The only thing that Democrats and Republicans can agree on is what a horrible mayor he has been. So, sayonara sucker!”
Mamdani, 34, was duly sworn in as NYC mayor on the steps of an abandoned subway station beneath City Hall in the early hours, with New York Attorney General Letitia James administering the oath of office and his wife, Rama Duwaji, holding up his grandfather’s copy of the Quran for him to swear on.
The democratic socialist becomes the first Muslim, South Asian, and African-born person to lead the city, which he called “truly the honor and the privilege of a lifetime.”
He will be sworn in publicly in a second ceremony on New Year’s Day on the steps of City Hall itself alongside progressive allies Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, with a block party to follow.
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