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Andy Cohen hints at “tiresome” moments in the franchise, what “titillated” him early on, and addresses ‘Housewives’ who told him the show “ruined” their “life.
The Watch What Happens Live host also discussed “cancel culture,” what he would do if it all got “ripped away,” and why he decided to have a second child.
In an interview with The New Yorker, Andy hinted at “tiresome” moments regarding the franchise. “[I’m] pretty engaged with it still, believe it or not. There are moments that are tiresome, but I’m not tired of it in totality,” he said. “I can’t believe it’s still going, with no end in sight—the franchise and how many there are.”
Early in the franchise, one thing that “titillated” him was the “sexuality” on the Real Housewives of Orange County. “I hadn’t seen on reality shows,” he said. “Certainly, on ‘The Real World’ it was teenagers who were hooking up or whatever, but here were, like, milfs with huge boobs … There’s no show that has given a platform for women over fifty in this way, in terms of expressing their sexuality and who they are and starting over in life and figuring things out.”
When asked when he realized the franchise would be a hit, Andy answered, “Season 2 of ‘Orange County.’ Before we started shooting, Jeana [Keough] told the producers she was getting a divorce. And I was, like, clutching my pearls. ‘Oh, no, Jeana’s gonna get divorced. That’s my friend!’ While simultaneously saying, “Wait a minute: Jeana’s getting a divorce, and we’re about to start shooting. So now this is, like, a story: What do her friends think, and is she going to start dating?'”
Andy also suggested certain ‘Housewives’ have told him, “This has ruined my life.”
“Yeah, sure. People have said, ‘I feel like this was a mistake. This has not been a positive experience for me.’ And people have said, ‘This saved my marriage,’ or ‘I never would have had the courage to leave my husband if I didn’t have the power that I now feel from this platform and the love of the people who watch it,’ or ‘I wouldn’t have had the knowledge that I was in a bad marriage,’ or ‘I wouldn’t have met my current husband,'” said the star.
He then touched on “cancel culture,” and feeling the need to be “mindful” of what he says.
“The truth of the matter is, some nights I leave the show, and I think, You really seemed pervy tonight on the show. And I’ll have to text my executive producer … and be, like, ‘Was that super pervy of me, what I said?'” shared Andy. “Because now, you know, I’m in my fifties, I have gray hair, and now I’m a dad, so it doesn’t land the same way. And she will always be honest; she’ll say, ‘It was fine.’ Or she’ll say, ‘In truth, I was a little skeeved out.’ And I’ll be, like, ‘Oh, God.'”
Andy also addressed what he would do if everything got “ripped away.”
“I think, O.K., well, if the Housewives go away, and if the talk show goes away, I have the radio, and if the radio goes away, then maybe my full-time job will be having a book imprint and writing books and raising my kids. And you know what? That would be an amazing job,” he said.
Speaking of his children, the producer revealed why he chose to have a second child.
“I did it for [my oldest child] Ben,” said the 54-year-old, “because I’m an older dad, and I’m a single dad, and I want him to feel like he has a family. And if something, God forbid, ever happened to me, I don’t want to abandon him. So he and his sister will always have each other.”