Andy Cohen Addresses Rumors of New Year's Eve Fallout with Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest

Throughout the evening, he and Anderson Cooper got more than a little tipsy, with Cohen stealing the show by railing against outgoing New York major Bill de Blasio, commenting on Cooper's bedroom habits and even referring to competitor Ryan Seacrest's "group of losers" behind them as Seacrest filmed ABC's "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve."

After there were reports that both CNN and his good friend Kelly Ripa -- who cohosts "Live with Kelly and Ryan" on ABC with Seacrest -- were ticked at him following his comments, Cohen appeared on Howard Stern's SiriusXM show to quell the rumors.

"I will not be shamed for having fun on New Year's Eve. That's why I'm there. That's why they bring me there. It's a four-and-a-half-hour show," he said when asked about "rumblings" CNN staffers weren't happy. "The booze started kicking in around 11:30, so everyone's focusing on the last 45 minutes or hour that we were on the air. I kicked into high gear with 45 minutes left. We had done 15 interviews before that point. I won't be shamed for it."

“I had a blast. Anderson had a blast. We left and were like, 'That was New Year's Eve.' No apologies for my drinking on New Year's Eve. None," he added, saying that the only direction he gets from CNN's Jeff Zucker every year is "have fun."

Stern then brought up how he "viciously attacked" Seacrest during the telecast and wondering whether he was concerned his comments would upset Ripa.

"She was not upset with me," Cohen stated. "As I was going on my rant about Journey, I did wind up kind of throwing ABC under the bus. That is my only regret from the night because I really like Ryan Seacrest and he's a really nice guy."

Telling Stern he was "in my cups" at that point in the night, he added he enjoyed "ranting like a nutty guy" on CNN in that moment -- but "felt bad" about it and "texted Ryan the next morning."

While there's no word on Seacrest's response, Cohen said he was happy CNN stood up for him and announced he'd be coming back to cohost again come 2023.

During the interview, Stern also wondered what "keeps you from falling in love with Anderson," Cohen's longtime friend.

"It's not what our relationship is based on, we're just friends, that's not a part of it," said Andy. "We know each other too well, we're not attracted to each other in that way. He's a handsome guy ... [but] we're not in that place."