CNN’s ‘New Year’s Eve Live’: Controversial Moments Through the Years

Not long after Anderson Cooper began hosting CNN’s New Year’s Eve broadcasts from Times Square in 2002, the news program often became the news.

In 2007, Kathy Griffin he joined as the journalist’s official co-host. While the unlikely duo brought the laughs, Griffin made waves annually for her dirty jokes and cursing. Still, the network stood by her – until May 2017 when Griffin came under fire for posing with a fake severed head then-President Donald Trump.

After Cooper tweeted that he was “horrified by the photo shoot,” calling it “obviously disgusting and completely inappropriate,” the network cut ties with Griffin.

Cooper continued to keep the spotlight light by joining his friend Andy Cohen as his official co-host for the 2017-18 broadcast – and the two began their tradition of take pictures to celebrate the show.

A few years later, Cohen made headlines during the 2021-22 broadcast when he cast a shadow is Mayor Bill de Blasio a Ryan Seacrest. The explosion resulted in a alcohol ban for a year for Cooper and Cohen.

Scroll through for the most popular moments from the broadcast over the years: