Chris Wallace put Andy Cohen in the hot seat during Friday’s episode of “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?”, asking if the reality TV mogul was embarrassed by “The Real Housewives” franchise.
In a rousing interview, the CNN anchor rolled clips of some of the Bravo series’ most dramatic moments, including physical altercations between the cast members.
“Are you at all embarrassed by what you do?” he asked Cohen.
“No, I’m really not,” he replied without hesitation. “Because it makes so many people happy.”
Cohen said audiences get out of “Real Housewives” what he got from watching “All My Children” as a child: an escape from reality.
“[“The Real Housewives”] can be really confrontational, it can sometimes be something that’s a little difficult to swallow,” he continued. “But I think it’s also about, in the real great moments, it’s about being a wife and a mother and a sister and a friend and a whole lot more.”
He went on to say that if the show was just a collection of highlight reels like the ones Wallace played, “it wouldn’t still be on the air and we wouldn’t have 10 [years] going. It’s very funny, too.”
A few moments later, Cohen admitted to getting “a little defensive” during his answer to Wallace’s question because he thought he’d never seen the show. In fact, Wallace watched one season of “Real Housewives of New York City” because he knew several members of the cast.
Cohen, who oversees nearly a dozen “Real Housewives” franchises, then invited Wallace to guest star on his live late-night show “Watch What Happens Live!”
Earlier in the interview, Wallace questioned Cohen about “New Years’ Eve Live,” which he co-hosts with Anderson Cooper. For 2022’s event, the duo took shots of a “mystery beverage” (apple cider vinegar) instead of alcohol. “Much to the chagrin, really, of the viewers,” Cohen said CNN asked them not to drink after he drunkenly spoke about former New York City mayor Bill de Blasio on the previous year’s show.
“I mean, we were very annoyed, because we felt like they were saying to us, ‘You’re not capable of drinking responsibly,’” he said.
“Did you watch your performance from the year before?” Wallace pressed him.
Cohen said that de Blasio was the “the safest person to go off on”: “There was no one who disagreed with me, I’m sorry.”
“You’re a TV executive. Was it really so unreasonable for the new bosses at CNN to say, ‘Getting hammered on national television, on a news network, is not a good look?’” said Wallace.
However, there were no hard feelings between the media personalities, who went on to discuss topics like parenthood, early career moves and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
When asked if the ex-royals had “become a bore,” Cohen demurred. After watching Harry promote his new book “Spare” on “60 Minutes” last week, he said “maybe there was a way for him to [speak about Prince William] without torching the bridge.”
“I think William should write a book called ‘Heir’ and tell his story,” Cohen joked.
As to whether the couple has become oversaturated in the media, he said he’d buy Harry’s book regardless: “Look, it’s expensive to live in Montecito. They’re cashing out!”
“Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace” premieres Fridays on HBO Max, followed by a highlights show that airs on CNN Sunday night.
