Roy Wood Jr. refused a New Year’s Eve shot from CNN’s Anderson Cooper by delivering a brutal joke in reference to ousted host Don Lemon.
The comedian decided to participate in Cooper and Andy Cohen’s annual Times Square telecast. Together, they continued their long-standing tradition of taking a shot every hour, starting at 8pm.
But when the dynamic New Year’s Eve duo offered Wood Jr. a shot – he demurred.
‘Oh, no!’ Wood Jr. said when Cohen offered him a the drink on live television to ring in 2025.
Declining the offer, the comedian humorously mentioned, ‘No, I don’t. The last Black man that drank on this network got fired,’ opting for water instead to maintain stability for the time being.
Cohen and Anderson quickly moved on and strayed away from asking any follow-up questions.
Although Wood Jr. did not specifically mention anyone by name, it appeared that he was alluding to Don Lemon, the former CNN anchor who had previously hosted the network’s New Year’s Eve coverage.
Lemon part ways with the network in 2023 after being one of their notable faces for 17 years.
‘I was informed this morning by my agent that I have been terminated by CNN. I am stunned,’ Lemon said in a response to the seemingly abrupt news on X in April of 2023.
‘After 17 years at CNN, I would have thought that someone in management would have had the decency to tell me directly,’ he added.
‘At no time was I ever given any indication that I would not be able to continue to do the work I have loved at the network. It is clear that there are some larger issues at play.’
His sudden termination came after he made a series of remarks that sparked up controversy at the network during a segment about Republican Nikki Haley, CBS News reported.
Lemon was responding to Haley’s urging for mandatory mental competency tests for politicians over the age of 75 in 2023 when he said: ‘Nikki Haley isn’t in her prime, sorry’.
‘When a woman is considered to be in her prime – in her 20s, 30s and maybe her 40s,’ he added.
He doubled down on his statement, saying that a simple Google search would show that women are considered to be in their prime at the ages he mentioned.
He later apologized for his statement saying they were ‘inartful and irrelevant’ after they were widely viewed as sexist by the public.
‘A woman’s age doesn’t define her either personally or professionally,’ Lemon wrote on X in February of 2023.
‘I have countless women in my life who prove that everyday.’
In an X post responding to Lemon’s departure, Haley wrote that it was ‘a great day for women everywhere’.
Despite the quick televised joke, Cooper and Cohen continued their eighth consecutive year broadcasting live from the big apple before the massive ball officially drops – marking the end of 2024.
As per usual, Cohen promised viewers that there would be shots on the hour – one of the hallmarks of the broadcast as the nation gets to watch the pair interact with celebrities and get drunker as the night goes on.
Just a mere five minutes into the live special, Cohen grabbed a bottle of tequila and two shot glasses.
‘We are going to do this at the top of every hour,’ he explained to those celebrating from the comfort of their own home. ‘And we want you to join us.’
‘That’s the fun of New Year’s Eve… Anderson doesn’t drink,’ he continued.
‘This is our virtual celebration, whether you are at home alone with family or with one other person, we are all here together. This is an incredible community that we’ve built up together over these eight years, and so I am excited.’
And of course he revealed that he and Cooper were taking shots out of their ‘Daddy Got His Juice’ glasses.
‘If you’re joining us at home, wherever you are in the world – if you’re with friends, if you’re alone – you are here with us, and we are here with you, and we see you,’ Cooper added. ‘Welcome.’
‘We are all together,’ Cohen tacked on. ‘Raise your glasses, everybody. 2025: health and happiness to all. Cheers, buddy. So honored to be spending this with you.’
After taking their first shot, Anderson revealed that it may have already taken affect – leading the pair to joke that it was going to be a ‘long night’.
CNN announced that it would dial down the on-air drinking in 2022 – prompting a sober 2023 celebration.
But the beloved pair were able to continue their alcoholic tradition this year – leaving viewers excited for their potential unfiltered thoughts live on television.
In an exclusive interview with Parade earlier this month, Cohen divulged that he was prepared to get ‘wild’ this New Year’s, but that he and his co-host would still ‘drink responsibly’.
‘Wild to me just means fun, and our directive is to have fun,’ he explained. ‘That’s what I’m focused on. My focus is to make Anderson loosen up and to create a lot of laughs and memorable moments.’
And his favorite part of the evening – ‘just getting to hang’ with his longtime buddy.
‘It’s such an unusual experience,’ Cohen described. ‘It’s five hours of standing in Times Square in the elements, just shooting the sh** and having fun.’
‘It’s a very unique broadcast, and it’s really fun, and you’re actually counting down to something,’ he added.
‘You’re waiting for something to happen, and then something does happen, so it’s great!’
