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CNN Live Event/Special
New Year's Eve Live with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen. Aired 11p-12a ET
Aired December 31, 2024 - 23:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[23:00:00]
ANDY COHEN, CNN HOST: No. No. Do you -- hey, 50, do you give a damn that there are mysterious drones flying over Jersey and New York?
50 CENT, AMERICAN RAPPER AND ACTOR: Yeah. I care more about the government saying that they don't know what it is or why it's there, and no and we're not doing anything.
COHEN: OK. Do you give a damn about --
50 CENT: I don't understand that point.
COHEN: Do you give a damn about Wicked in general?
50 CENT: This is a setup, man.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR, ANDERSON COOPER 360: I've never even seen Wicked, just so you know.
50 CENT: I don't know what this is -- yeah, I never saw it.
COOPER: Yeah. I'd say I, I'm with it. I've never seen it either.
COHEN: Well, you both need to see it.
COOPER: I got to see it. Everyone's talking about.
COHEN: Do you give a damn -- last question -- that JLo and Ben Affleck broke up?
50 CENT: No, no. I mean, I guess -- well, we've seen this before. They broke up before. It's not the first time. This is second time.
COHEN: Yeah. OK. So you've been there, done that. All right. Well, 50 Cent, I hope -- what time do you go on? What time do you go on?
50 CENT: I'm going to go on shortly. As soon as I get up here with y'all, I'm going to go get dressed.
COOPER: Let me just ask you. Given, I mean, your experience, given your history, do you get nervous still, like, moments before you go on? Do you have, like, butterflies all in your stomach? Are you all just like, I got this? Yes. This is just going to be fun. 50 CENT: No. I still get nervous until, like, the first minute of the show goes by, and then I kind of turn into 50 Cent. But I get nervous --
COOPER: Yeah.
50 CENT: -- every time. If you don't get nervous, I don't think you should perform anymore because then you don't care about the performance.
COOPER: Yeah. I knew that's true.
COHEN: Well, we love you, 50 Cent. I hope to see you soon. Have a great show, and you're going to be back with a performance a little bit later. Thank you so much.
COOPER: Thank you, 50.
50 CENT: Yeah.
COHEN: Have fun. Take care of your money.
50 CENT: All right.
COOPER: You take care. We are closing in on the top hour. Oh, it's 11:00 o'clock.
COHEN: Hell yeah.
COOPER: We passed into the 11 o'clock hour. Oh my goodness.
COHEN: Here's the tequila.
COOPER: Oh, lord.
COHEN: OK. We are heading in --
COOPER: Wow.
COHEN: -- to our last hour --
COOPER: OK.
COHEN: -- of 2024.
COOPER: Last shot.
COHEN: Are you ready for this?
COOPER: Is this the last shot?
COHEN: No. This is our last shot of 2024.
COOPER: OK.
COHEN: As a matter of fact, I'm not so sure we're not going to do one right before midnight, as a matter of fact.
COOPER: Well, I'll see.
COHEN: I think we should.
COOPER: All right. Diplo is going to join us just in another moment. Also, Lil Jon is also going to join. But let's do the shot.
COHEN: Let's do this.
COOPER: All right.
COHEN: OK. Cheers. Cheers, everybody. Happy New Year.
COOPER: Happy New Year.
COHEN: It stopped raining.
COOPER: It stopped raining.
COHEN: Do we think maybe this could be it for the rain?
COOPER: I don't know. Let's see.
COHEN: OK. All right. Wow.
COOPER: How do people do this?
COHEN: I have to say, I've been pouring --
COOPER: Why do people do this?
COHEN: -- it all the way to the top too.
COOPER: Oh, what's the point?
COHEN: I know.
COOPER: All right. The wait is over. The helicopter has landed.
COHEN: Wow.
COOPER: Superstar recording artist, DJ, producer, Diplo joins us. He's at Insomniac's Forever Midnight.
COHEN: There he is.
COOPER: At the Los Angeles Convention Center. Diplo, it is Andy and Anderson. I don't know if you could hear us. Thank you for being with us. Happy New Year. What are you doing tonight?
DIPLO, AMERICAN DJ AND MUSIC PRODUCER: Happy New Year. I just got my helicopter landed here downtown. I'm about to play a shoot --
(CROSSTALK) COHEN: I mean, that is the -- I just got to say, that is the coolest -- that is the coolest line anybody has ever said in my ear on the IFE. We got to wait 5 minutes. Diplo's helicopter hasn't landed yet. I want one day -- I aspire this --
DIPLO: Yeah, I was getting massage at the last festival --
COHEN: You need to follow him on Instagram.
COOPER: And by the way, Diplo, I saw your house. I think it was an Architectural Digest. That is a beautiful -- I have a house in a small town in Northern Brazil. Yours is a beautiful, beautiful house. I just thought that was incredible.
COHEN: Beautiful.
DIPLO: I'm inviting you guys. Come there for, January. I'll be there all month. Come visit me in Jamaica.
COOPER: Wow.
COHEN: Diplo, I was so excited. I've had you on the show a few times. I was so excited to finally see you live in in Vegas this year. Went and saw you after seeing, Den & Co at Sphere. And I got to tell you something, man. Women were on that platform trying to get your attention. They all wanted a piece of you. Just -- I just was curious, like, do any of those women have a chance at you who are trying to get to you? So hardcore --
COOPER: What kind of a question is that?
COHEN: Well, Well, I want to know.
DIPLO: I have a pretty good security barrier, and I don't look back a lot, so I'm kind of just facing you. But I gave you a nice little hug, and I gave you some love. But I don't -- I think I went home alone that night pretty much.
COHEN: Oh, wow.
COOPER: It's the way it is.
COHEN: Wow. You had your inaugural 5K race for your Diplo's Run Club this year, and, you DJ'd a post rave for the 11,000 racers. What was your highlight of that day?
DIPLO: Oh my god. Getting that many people together in San Francisco doing 15,000 people running was insane. We all party. We're in bed early at 7:00 P.M. The party's over at 1:00. We're all drunk, having a good time. The city was shut down. It was beautiful. You got to come run with me this summer.
COOPER: I also heard. I read that you DJ'd a set from the top of a mountain in Alaska. Where is the craziest place you've ever done a DJ set?
DIPLO: I DJ'd in Antarctica last year. That was pretty crazy on that iceberg.
[23:05:00]
COOPER: Wow. That's cool.
DIPLO: With some penguins.
COHEN: Wow.
COOPER: For some penguins?
COHEN: For some penguins.
DIPLO: Yeah. (CROSSTALK) penguins.
COHEN: I am I am in such awe following you on Instagram because you're somewhere different every day. You never ever stop. Do you sleep, dude?
DIPLO: I'm going to sleep tomorrow. Yeah. It's been a long weekend. I think it's -- what is this, is it Tuesday? What is it?
COHEN: Who knows?
DIPLO: It is Tuesday, OK.
COOPER: Is there one place on your travel bucket list you are super excited --
DIPLO: CNN told me its Tuesday. That's the news.
COOPER: OK.
DIPLO: My bucket list.
COOPER: Yeah.
DIPLO: I think I climbed Mount Fuji. That was pretty fun. I did it in a couple hours.
COOPER: OK.
COHEN: Wow. You've been on "Watch What Happens Live" a few times, and we've played a game called, is it wider than Diplo's ass in honor of a picture that you shared of your butt on Instagram. I'm wondering if you think Anderson who --
COOPER: Wow. This is really --
COHEN: -- is so white and almost translucent, really, do you think that Anderson is whiter than your ass, Diplo?
DIPLO: His ass or just him?
COHEN: No. Is he --
DIPLO: His ass might be whiter than mine.
COHEN: His -- no, is his face --
COOPER: Wow. This is the game I didn't --
COHEN: -- whiter than your ass.
DIPLO: No. No.
COHEN: No. OK.
DIPLO: My ass never sees the sun, so it's very white.
COHEN: OK. He's very -- he's almost translucent. You know, you shared, earlier that you ran the 2023 LA Marathon while on LSD. How is that possible? What was that like?
DIPLO: I just think it makes your mind work. You move faster. You're able to incorporate your body. It just was a little hack I had. I think it's illegal in the Olympics, but I it was fun.
COOPER: Wow.
COHEN: What is the most -- I'm so curious. What's the most conventional place that you've done LSD?
DIPLO: Right now.
COHEN: Right now?
DIPLO: Just in the helicopter.
COHEN: Oh my god.
DIPLO: Yeah.
COHEN: Please, oh my god. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Please tell me --
DIPLO: I'm not even lying.
COHEN: You're tripping right now?
DIPLO: Yeah.
COHEN: Yep?
COOPER: Wow.
COHEN: Wow.
DIPLO: But it's like a light trip.
COOPER: Wow.
COOPER: A light trip.
COHEN: Wow.
COOPER: How do we look to you? As weird as we do in real life or weird?
DIPLO: I don't even -- all I see is this this camera. I don't even see you guys. They won't let me look at the screen, so I have no idea what you guys look like.
COHEN: Oh. So can picture us. You can picture us.
COOPER: Wow.
COHEN: Wow.
DIPLO: Show me that for -- show me that for a minute. Oh, you guys look beautiful. I love your shirt.
COHEN: Of course, we do. Yes. Of course.
COOPER: Wow. Yes. That's incredible.
COHEN: Wow. Hey --
COOPER: I mean so you're, like, microdosing?
DIPLO: Yeah. Yeah. A little bit. I think I might have macro-dosed earlier today, though.
COHEN: OK. Macro -- oh, OK. Was it the LSD spray?
DIPLO: No. I got a little dropper, little droplets.
COHEN: OK. All right.
COOPER: OK.
COHEN: OK. We should point out actually --
(CROSSTALK)
DIPLO: I actually like liquid (ph).
COHEN: All right. All right. Yeah. Well, by the --
DIPLO: Just cut this.
COHEN: What was your -- I mean, cut it. It's live.
COOPER: We don't recommend this -- we don't recommend this at all.
COHEN: All right. We don't. What's your -- hey, Diplo, what was your song of the year?
DIPLO: Yeah.
COOPER: What was your song of the year? DIPLO: I'm going to say "Chaperone Hot to Go." I love that song.
COHEN: Yeah.
DIPLO: It's a good song. Right?
COOPER: Listen, given what you do, like, do you -- when you go home from work, like, do you listen to music at home all day, or do you want to be around silence a lot? Like, I go home, I don't turn on the news to watch more news. I want silence for a while, or I want to watch something completely out of my realm like Gomorrah on Max.
DIPLO: I like to, watch -- listen to brown noise. Like, just kind of, like, textures and read and chill and go in the sauna. I don't know. Whatever. Just to kind of, like, ease my mind.
COOPER: Right. Yeah.
COHEN: Textures.
COOPER: I like that.
COHEN: Yeah.
COOPER: Yeah.
COHEN: Hey, Diplo --
DIPLO: Yeah, meditators.
COHEN: -- Anderson has been making so much fun of me because there was this video of me dancing at the Dead show that went viral. But you started to get into Dead & Co. this year at Sphere. What did that -- what was that experience like for you? Oh, God, you guys are playing that again.
DIPLO: Yeah. I didn't know one Dead & Co. song --
COOPER: So go ahead, Diplo.
DIPLO: -- until I went there, and I became a huge fan. I became a huge fan. That show is insane. And John Mayer is insane. It looks so beautiful, and it was amazing.
[23:10:00]
COOPER: Yeah. I'm a huge John -- I love John Mayer. I don't -- I've never really gotten into the Grateful Dead, and Andy is such a huge fan. And I feel like I am missing out. I do not understand it.
COHEN: It's just music.
COOPER: What is it that -- I mean, you're saying you're a kind of used to it --
DIPLO: You got to go to Sphere. COOPER: What?
DIPLO: You have to go to Sphere and experience it there because it's so insane to see the show there and just to watch John, the band. They look so cool, and the show is insane. The Sphere experience is so freaking awesome. You got to come see it there.
COOPER: I feel like it's a limitation on my part because I do -- there's all these people --
COHEN: Me too.
COOPER: -- who are so dedicated to it. I feel like I'm just limited and missing out on something. I wish I had the sort of enthusiasm for anything that Andy has for them.
COHEN: A musical voyage.
COOPER: Yeah.
COHEN: And I think that Sphere is like the great modern music venue. It's kind of stunning. Would you play there? I think it's kind of red -- I think there's a DJ there tonight as a matter of fact.
DIPLO: I would love to.
COHEN: Yeah.
DIPLO: Yeah. Animal's playing there for, like, 5 days. It looks really amazing. I think he's breaking a lot of barriers for that show, and it's going to be super awesome if more DJs can come to Sphere for sure.
COOPER: But let me ask you about that, though, because, I mean, I like going out dancing. I love listening to music. I love dancing in clubs to music. At the Sphere, do you -- I mean, is everybody -- are there -- there's seats, though. Aren't you, like, there are seats?
COHEN: And there is a pit too.
DIPLO: There's a pit too.
COHEN: Yes. So I mean, I was --
DIPLO: You sit down, but then you -- if you're at the Dead show, you got to go to the floor, and you got to hang out with the twirlers. Those are the people who just go to the show and spin around in circles flat, 2 hours.
COHEN: The spinners.
DIPLO: You got to do that.
COHEN: Yes.
DIPLO: This -- I call them twirlers. Spinners? I don't know. COHEN: Yes. Spinners.
COOPER: I met --
DIPLO: We got the spinners.
COOPER: -- who did -- on your show, who was that that I was with?
COHEN: Bob Weir.
COOPER: Bob Weir, who was fantastic --
DIPLO: Bon Weir.
COOPER: -- and his wife is amazing.
COHEN: Yes.
COOPER: Yeah. I mean, he's like -- I loved him.
DIPLO: And he dresses so good. He dresses so amazing.
COOPER: He does.
COHEN: Yeah, he does. He is so --
COOPER: He has this elegance to him too that's really -- and his wife is fantastic.
COHEN: Diplo, we love you. I hope to see you soon.
(CROSSTALK)
DIPLO: -- the like the best dressed man. I love you.
COOPER: Yeah.
COHEN: Hey, Diplo. I think you may be the first person in CNN history to be microdosing on LSD on the air.
COOPER: Well, we don't need to go make that -- yeah, I don't know.
COHEN: Well, I think so.
COOPER: I don't know. Hey, Diplo. I'm a huge fan of yours. I really enjoy what love what you do, and I really appreciate you being on tonight. Thank you so much. Have a great and fun night tonight.
COHEN: Thanks man.
DIPLO: I love you guys.
COHEN: Keep that helicopter on time.
DIPLO: I will send you guys next time.
COOPER: I hope it's your best year yet. All right. Diplo.
COHEN: All right.
COOPER: Coming up, rapper Lil Jon. I wish I was Diplo, I got to say.
COHEN: Oh, you just what --
COOPER: I just think he has a fun, cool lifestyle. Can you imagine his lifestyle?
COHEN: Yes.
COOPER: I'm Diplo. I do think
COHEN: Do you follow him on Instagram? You should.
COOPER: I'm going to start.
COHEN: No, you should.
COOPER: I'm going to start. I'm absolutely going to start.
COHEN: I mean, it's well one way that he is --
(CROSSTALK)
COOPER: If feel bad about my own boring life compared to Diplo's. He's got helicopters. And they said, like, doing things. He did, like, 4 shots while we were talking.
COHEN: I know. That's actually true.
COOPER: And he was microdosing.
COHEN: And he's going to play.
COOPER: And he's going to play. How does he work?
COHEN: I know.
COOPER: How does anybody do anything? I've had 4 shots. I've, like -- I just want to go to sleep.
COHEN: All right, sweetie, let's go to commercial break. We're going to be back after this. Here's Usher skating in Vegas.
COOPER: Oh my goodness.
(USHER SINGING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[23:15:00]
COHEN: All right.
COOPER: Welcome back.
COHEN: Welcome.
COOPER: New York Times Square.
COHEN: Anderson. Welcome back. Blah, blah, blah. He is crazy right now. I just want you to know. He is nuts.
COOPER: So 40 minutes until the ball drops. No. It's funny because my phone is blowing up with all these people who are texting me saying, I want to be Diplo too.
COHEN: Yeah.
COOPER: And I can't tell you who they are, but there are a lot of people who, like, have real lives and, like, big jobs and they're all like, why am I doing what I'm doing? I just want to be like Diplo.
COHEN: I think it's interesting that the mayor of New York is standing over there.
COOPER: Oh, don't -- do not -- you know what, this is what Andy Cohen does. I just -- just for a moment, let me just -- yeah, this is what he does. He's trying to stir the pot. He's trying to stir the pot.
COHEN: Well, he's much indicted.
COOPER: Joining us now live --
COHEN: And he is running around at the party.
COOPER: Joining us live from Atlantis Paradise Island, the Bahamas Grammy Award winning multi-platinum artist, Lil Jon. Lil Jon, thank you so much for being with us.
COHEN: Hey, Lil Jon. What's up?
LIL JON, RAPPER & RECORD PRODUCER: Hey, guys.
COOPER: Hey, you're the special guest, DJ.
COHEN: Maybe you're --
(CROSSTALK)
COHEN: I am. He as well. We both are a little bit.
COOPER: No, I'm not. I'm not at all. I'm sorry.
COHEN: Hey. Hey. You're the guest DJ at Atlantis' New Year's Eve party tonight. Tell me what the best songs are to get a New Year's Eve party started?
JON: Shots. Which you have -- you guys have had plenty of those tonight, I'm sure. Yeah. COHEN: Yeah. We have. We have. Dude, congratulations, by the way. You were the musical director for Usher's Super Bowl halftime show this year. You joined him on stage. What was the craziest part of that whole process? What an accomplishment, and it was such a great show, by the way.
JON: Thank you. The hardest part of it was, Usher changing his mind every other day and us going through a 150, 60 variations of the show. So that was the hardest part. You get Usher to just commit to the show. The version that we finally used, basically.
COHEN: Yes. It was so good.
JON: But it was great experience.
COHEN: Tell me your reaction to hearing Mark Zuckerberg cover "Get Low" duetting with T-Pain. I mean, how come it was T-Pain on the duet and not you, buddy?
COOPER: Why weren't you duetting?
COHEN: Yeah.
JON: I mean, it was great to hear that because I heard, you know, the story, of him proposing to his wife to it.
[23:20:00]
And T-Pain called me, but I guess Mark was in a rush to finish the song, so they just finished the song and put it out. But they -- no, they definitely called me.
COOPER: OK. That's cool. Well, maybe I would like to see still some sort of a duet between you 2.
COHEN: I'm good with Lil Jon solo.
COOPER: Yeah. It might be -- me too as well.
COHEN: Yeah.
COOPER: Hey. What do you think was the song of the summer for 2024? And what about your pick for maybe album of the year?
COHEN: Song that is -- I don't know. Well, let me tell -- you tell me yours, and then I'll go off with you guys. You go first.
COOPER: Man, I'm the lamest person on the planet. I've been listening to, like, Bossa Nova music from Brazil in the 1960s, so I -- yeah.
COHEN: I was really in -- I was all over Charli XCX all summer.
JON: I think the song was Shaboozey, "Tipsy."
COHEN: Yeah. Yeah.
COOPER: OK.
COHEN: Yeah.
JON: That's like the biggest song of the year.
COHEN: Do you have any resolutions for the New Year?
JON: My resolutions are to just only think positive thoughts. Erase negative thoughts out of my mind.
COHEN: Yeah. Yeah.
COOPER: Hey. So you released -- I want to ask you about meditation because, I'm a big fan of a guy named Jon Kabat-Zinn, who's a long time mindfulness meditator in America. He kind of introduced mindfulness a lot and promoted it in America in the 70s. You released a pair of meditation albums this year. What inspired you to get into guided meditation?
JON: Well, I was going through a lot, when I turned 50, and I was basically saying -- meditating and saying affirmations every day. And around that time, I met my partner, Kabir Sehgal, who I did all the projects with. And we got in the studio, and we just started to work on this. He had an idea to really -- he was like, we should do, you know, record guided meditations.
And also, I was like, I really want to do these affirmations because it really helped me. And that's what we did. We just got in. It was just the right time. Life is changing. You know, when you hit 50 or you hit, you know, that part of life, you start to reflect back on life and think about the things you want to change and change your mindset and look at life differently.
So all of that's what happened, and that's where I'm at. I have a book coming out of affirmations and manifest -- manifestations. So I'm continuing this process. More stuff coming.
COHEN: So here we are 23 minutes until the New Year breaks.
COOPER: Well, it's actually, like, 40 -- yeah, 38 minutes. But, yes, go ahead.
COHEN: Oh, 38 minutes. Sorry. I'm a little drunk.
JON: Yeah.
COHEN: I thought I had that.
JON: You think.
COHEN: Sorry. Anyway, can you lead us into a meditation? Could you lead the audience and Anderson and I in a little, like, mini meditation, getting us into the New Year, letting everything go, and getting us in?
JON: Well, I think most people are kind of drunk. I don't know if they're going to follow along to the meditation, but I'll give you a little something.
COHEN: They will follow along. OK.
COOPER: OK.
JON: We're going to -- we're just going to make it really simple. We're going to just say -- we're going to breathe a couple of times in and out, in through your nose, out through your mouth. Right? And then we're going to say, we're going to leave all negativity in 2024, and we're going to move into 2025 with positivity. And that's what we're doing. That's what everybody's doing out there.
COOPER: All right. And I like that we're all doing it together nationwide, worldwide in this moment.
JON: Yes.
COHEN: I like it that you're slurring while you're saying that.
JON: You guys are crazy.
COHEN: Lil Jon, we love you.
COOPER: Yeah.
COHEN: We're going to let you go. You're in Atlantis.
COOPER: I mean --
COHEN: We're in Times Square, New York.
COOPER: Lil Jon, thank you so much. Happy New Year. I hope it's your best year.
JON: Happy New Year, guys. Yeah.
COHEN: Happy New Year, man. Great to see you. Hope to see you soon.
COOPER: It is about -- its 3-6 minutes until we ring in the New Year.
COHEN: Yeah, it is.
COOPER: Shut up. Such a jerk. Coming up, we'll check-in again with Randi Kaye in Key West, Florida. But first, let's go back to Richard Quest in the crowd. Richard, how are things? I'm looking out.
COHEN: Oh, he's got to have a new costume.
COOPER: Oh, well --
RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR AT LARGE: The hour is getting ever closer. The hour when the clock will change, the year will turn. Are you ready?
CROWD: YEAH.
QUEST: All right. And you're on and you're, Chantelle. Are you ready for a new year?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely. Can't wait. It's going to be a great time. Going to keep nice and fresh.
QUEST: But at midnight, are you going to be fresh?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely. I've got one of these on the go.
QUEST: Well, try that. There we go. Have a good go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There we go. Fantastic.
QUEST: Thank you very much.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.
[23:25:00]
QUEST: Well, I'll leave you to get on with whatever you do at midnight after midnight. Yes. You are?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oscar.
QUEST: And you are?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mackenzie.
QUEST: It is a new year ahead.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
QUEST: The freshness of the New Year. You want to be ready and fresh?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Of course.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. I definitely will with my breath mints. Thank you.
QUEST: Keep going. Heck. Look, later, ma'am. Later. And you, sir.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah.
QUEST: Bearing a splendid hat. Your name is?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Israel.
QUEST: Israel. That's appropriate. New Year. Wonderful. Wonderful day. Are you ready? Are you going to be fresh at the New Year?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going to be more than fresh in the New Year because of -- where is rain?
QUEST: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't wait.
QUEST: God. Give me some --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: New Year, new start.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is a -- there's a lot of freshness to be had, and it's nearly midnight.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Welcome back. We're closing in on the New York. 32 minutes left to go. Our Times Square bash continues. So let's quickly check- in, hold your breath with Randi Kaye in Key West, Florida. Let's see what's happening. Randi, what's it looking like?
[23:30:00]
RANDI KAYE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We are still having a great party here in Key West. I am here with Dale. We have -- Dale is the oldest sword swallower in the country, and we have brought you -- in the world. OK. All right. You can correct me. We brought you out of retirement for this show tonight.
COHEN: Oh, retirement.
KAYE: You have got to show us what you can do. Are you ready? How long have you been doing this?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right.
KAYE: Like --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A couple of weeks.
KAYE: A couple of weeks? Oh my Gosh. OK. Are you sure it's safe?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've been doing it over 50 years.
KAYE: OK. OK. Are you ready?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am. Are you ready?
KAYE: Yes. And we have our friend -- our friend Paul. Our friend Paul is going to do our play-by-play. You're going to do our play-by-play.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's going down. It's going to go down. It is going down. Any minute now, it's going down. It's going down deep, deep, deep, down that hatch without a scratch.
KAYE: And I have to take it out. Oh my Gosh. Wow.
ANDY COHEN, CNN HOST: Randi --
KAYE: That is --
COHEN: -- Randi --
KAYE: That is -- UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm in. The jokes --
(CROSSTALK)
COHEN: -- Randi, Randi --
KAYE: Yes, Andy.
COHEN: -- Randi, is he seeing anybody?
KAYE: You're amazing, the best sword swallower. All right. That's how we do it.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: OK.
KAYE: That's how we do it.
COOPER: All right.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's how we do it. That's how we do it.
COOPER: All right. Randi, thank you.
COHEN: Thanks, Randi. All right. Give Randi your number. I want to hang out there. Almost 20 minutes to go until the New Year and the ball drop.
COOPER: Almost 20 minutes. What do you remember? It is 29 minutes to go.
COHEN: All right. Well, I'm reading the prompter.
COOPER: Oh, sweetie, look at the clock.
(CROSSTALK)
COOPER: Coming up, "50 Cent" helps us keep the party going with one of his biggest hits, also comedian Anthony Anderson and his mom joins us. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIMMY FALLON, COMEDIAN AND TELEVISION HOST: My New Year's resolution is to wear my skins all year long.
PARIS HILTON, MEDIA PERSONALITY & BUSINESSWOMAN: My New Year's resolution is to continue sliving.
[23:35:00]
JAMES MCAVOY, SCOTTISH ACTOR: No. I'm going to stop biting my fingernails.
LANCE BASS, SINGER & ACTOR: Happy New Year, everyone. All right. If I had a New Year's resolution, it is to actually travel less so that I get to enjoy my babies at home.
ELLE KING, SINGER & MUSICIAN: Less social media, more housewives.
ASHLEY PARK, ACTRESS & MUSICIAN: My New Year's resolution is to be kind to myself and kind to others.
SNOOP DOGG, RAPPER: My New Year's resolution is to see the world at peace, to see people moving as one, to see color not be a relative (ph), to see love be the atmosphere that everyone lives under and pushes.
MARTHA STEWART, BUSINESSWOMAN & WRITER: Listen to Snoop. Whenever he speaks, he is a poet.
ZACHARY QUINTO, ACTOR: My New Year's resolution is to keep meditating.
MELISSA MCCARTHY, ACTRESS & SCREENWRITER: Every time maybe someone is saying something I don't agree with, take a minute. I always say it like a mental run around the block. Know that they have their perspective. I don't have to like it. I don't have to agree with it, but I don't have to -- I want to give them their space, and I don't want to be competitive.
VANNA WHITE, TV PERSONALITY: I don't make New Year's resolutions anymore, because I can never keep them. Sorry.
KRISTIN CHENOWETH, ACTRESS & SINGER: My New Year's resolution is to not have any more Coke.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COHEN: She meant Coca-Cola. She meant Coca-Cola.
COOPER: OK.
COHEN: All right.
COOPER: Let's be clear about that.
COHEN: OK. Guess what, guys? It's time for more of 50 Cent. Here he is with his classic "In da Club".
(SONG "IN DA CLUB" BY CURTIS "50 CENT" JACKSON)
[23:40:00]
(SONG "IN DA CLUB" PERFORMANCE BY CURTIS "50 CENT" JACKSON)
COOPER: That was 50 Cent in Las Vegas. Joining us now is comedian Anthony Anderson, his mom, actress Doris Hancox Bowman. Anthony already has 2025 exciting plans. He is appearing opposite Viola Davis in the upcoming action movie on Prime G20.
COHEN: Hey. Y'all want some shots?
ANTHONY ANDERSON, ACTOR & COMEDIAN: Oh, yes, we do. COOPER: OK. All right.
MAMA DORIS, MOTHER OF ANTHONY ANDERSON: OK. Anderson and I --
(CROSSTALK)
COHEN: Happy New Year.
ANDERSON: Happy New Year. Happy New Year.
COHEN: She doesn't drink and see what happens.
COOPER: Neither do I. Neither do I.
COHEN: We want to see, but we saw what happened.
COOPER: Have you guys ever been in Times Square on New Year's Eve?
DORIS: Not, Andy.
ANDERSON: No. This is my mother's first time in Times Square on New Year's Eve.
COOPER: Nice. Nice.
COHEN: It's fun, right?
ANDERSON: Yeah.
COHEN: What's the last time you've done (inaudible)?
(CROSSTALK)
COHEN: Was that wild? Did you see that?
ANDERSON: Yeah.
(CROSSTALK)
COOPER: That was great. That was great.
(CROSSTALK)
DORIS: I can tell you about that.
(CROSSTALK)
COHEN: Hey, Anthony, you appeared in all for the TV special "The Real Full Monty" --
ANDERSON: Yeah.
COHEN: -- to raise awareness, cancer awareness.
ANDERSON: Yes.
COHEN: Was that your first stripping experience?
ANDERSON: My first stripping experience on camera, yes.
COHEN: What was your reaction to it?
DORIS: I loved it.
COHEN: You loved it.
DORIS: I loved --
(CROSSTALK)
COHEN: How would you rate your son's performance?
DORIS: I'd give him a nine.
COHEN: A nine. Wow.
ANDERSON: Thank you.
(CROSSTALK)
COHEN: By the way, you turned 71 this year. Happy Birthday.
DORIS: Thank you.
COHEN: You look great.
DORIS: I know I do.
COHEN: You've been friends with Mike Tyson for a long time.
ANDERSON: Yes.
COHEN: What was your reaction to the fight this year?
ANDERSON: You know what, man? I mean, we were all holding on to Tyson of yesteryear. We really wanted this. I mean, nothing against Jake Paul. We really wanted to see him knock him out.
DORIS: Yeah.
(CROSSTALK)
COOPER: I wanted him to win.
DORIS: I just wanted him to get the money.
COHEN: Yes.
(CROSSTALK)
COOPER: I hope he saves the money.
ANDERSON: Yeah. COOPER: I hope he is saving it.
DORIS: We had a good one.
ANDERSON: Yeah. Yeah.
COOPER: Yes.
COHEN: You are starring alongside Viola Davis --
ANDERSON: I am.
COHEN: -- in G20. What can you tell us about it? Is this your first action movie?
ANDERSON: It's first action movie. G20, she is the President of the United States. I'm her husband. We go over to Cape Town, South Africa for the G20 Global Summit, and it's attacked by terrorists. And we're both ex-military. So, it makes sense that we're kicking ass and getting our ass kicked throughout the movie.
COOPER: All right.
DORIS: I'm his first man.
COHEN: Wow. You're the first man?
ANDERSON: I'm the first man.
COHEN: Wow. You're like, if Doug Emhoff --
ANDERSON: Yes.
COHEN: Yeah.
COOPER: You've got to be so proud of your son.
DORIS: I am proud of him.
COOPER: Yeah.
DORIS: Every time he will give me a job, and I get a chance. I'm so proud.
COHEN: I love it whenever the two of you are together, and I want to play a little game with y'all.
DORIS: OK.
COHEN: we call it the "Mom-ly Wed Game".
ANDERSON: OK. Let's do it.
COHEN: It's like the newlywed game. I have white boards for both of you.
ANDERSON: OK.
COHEN: OK? And so, I'm going to ask you both questions, and we're going to see if y'all match in your answers. OK? Here are erasers. I'll get these. OK. So, the first question is, Doris, what would Anthony say is his best physical feature? OK? So, you both write that down. What Anthony says is his best physical feature? OK. Doris, reveal. You say face and it --
(CROSSTALK)
COOPER: Yes.
COHEN: -- it's a mask.
(CROSSTALK)
COHEN: OK. Let me wipe this off. OK. Next question --
ANDERSON: And I look like my mama. That's why she said it.
COHEN: Anthony, how would Doris describe you as a child, in one word? How we would describe Anthony as a child, in one word? OK?
ANDERSON: One word --
COHEN: OK? Anthony, you say, bad.
ANDERSON: Bad.
COHEN: You say -- Oh my god. Wow. That's a match.
COOPER: I loved it.
COHEN: That is a match. That's a match.
DORIS: That is a match.
COHEN: OK. The next question, bad and devil. OK. Doris, what was Anthony's favorite summer Olympic sport to watch this year? She seems to know right away.
COOPER: Yeah. She knows right away.
COHEN: OK.
COOPER: All right.
COHEN: OK. Anthony says, swimming. You say --
ANDERSON: Basketball.
COHEN: -- basketball. All right. OK. We did not get that one.
[23:45:00]
ANDERSON: Two for three. COHEN: OK. Anthony, what did Doris complain the most about this year?
What did Doris complain the most about this year? I need you both to write down. OK.
COOPER: OK.
ANDERSON: Hold on.
COHEN: Doris said -- Oh my God. She said she wants more work --
ANDERSON: Hold on.
COHEN: -- and you said --
ANDERSON: Hold on.
COHEN: -- when is to tell the truth coming back.
ANDERSON: When is to tell the truth coming back.
COOPER: Wait a minute. I was on to tell the truth when I was like 10- years-old.
(CROSSTALK)
COHEN: OK. Doris, which of Anthony's famous friends do you like the best? Sorry. OK. Which of Anthony's famous friends do you like the best? Cedric.
ANDERSON: Cedric.
COHEN: Wow. Yes.
ANDERSON: Hi Cedric. Happy New Year, baby.
COHEN: Yes.
ANDERSON: What I've said.
COHEN: Yeah. St. Louis guy.
ANDERSON: Yeah.
COHEN: St. Louis guy. OK. Last up, Doris what do you think is Anthony's worst movie or TV show that he has ever been in?
ANDERSON: Oh, wow. Our worst?
COHEN: Worst -- yeah. The worst movie or TV show --
ANDERSON: TV show.
COHEN: -- he has ever been in. I love this. It's so funny. OK. Anthony said Baby Daddy. You say, Baby Mama. OK.
(CROSSTALK) COHEN: All right. It's amazing. We know each other.
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: I love you, mama. We won $1 million.
COOPER: I loved that. I loved that.
ANDERSON: We won $1 million.
COHEN: Love you, guys, so much. Yeah. You won $1 million. You won a micro (inaudible).
(CROSSTALK)
COHEN: OK. All right.
COOPER: Happy New Year.
COHEN: Happy New Year.
DORIS: Can I say Happy New Year to all my bingo buddies in California --
COHEN: Yes.
DORIS: -- Oregon --
COHEN: Yes.
DORIS: -- Georgia?
COHEN: All over the world. OK. Shout out time.
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: Thanks to the thread game.
COHEN: Well, let's go back to Richard Quest in the crowd.
DORIS: Happy New Year, everyone.
COOPER: That was great. Thank you, guys.
QUEST: And a very Happy New Year, continuing our look of the night. Tonight, I am at the Empire State Building in all its glory. Oh, its majesty. How --
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Happy New Year.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Happy New Year. Happy New Year, Richard.
QUEST: Where are you from?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Originally, South Carolina --
QUEST: South Carolina.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- but we live in New Jersey now.
QUEST: We've all told that against. Hello. Now, look at this face, smiling.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, sir. Thank you.
QUEST: Nice to see you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Happy 2025. Nice to see you.
QUEST: Happy 2025. What wonderful people who've all braved the night. Oh, sir. There we go. What an atmosphere when you've got here. Hello. How are you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm good.
QUEST: What's your name?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sienna (ph).
QUEST: Sienna. Where are you from?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm from El Paso, Texas.
QUEST: From Texas.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
QUEST: What a long way to come.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A long way to go.
QUEST: And here is the Empire State Building in all (inaudible). Happy New Year, everybody. I think I've perfected -- I have perfected the wave suitably. Now, all I need to find is a gorilla to climb up me. No, that didn't quite work properly, didn't it? You get the idea. It's New Year, a wonderful new year, nearly midnight, and we have some great people. On the count of three --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.
QUEST: -- one, two, three --
(CROWD CHANTING HAPPY NEW YEAR)
QUEST: That was abysmally pathetic. One more time. Please. Please. Pay attention.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right.
QUEST: Oh, I got a second. I have to conduct properly. Ready? And one, two, one, two, three, four --
(CROWD CHANTING HAPPY NEW YEAR)
QUEST: Now that, Anderson and Andy, that is how you do it.
COOPER: Yeah.
COHEN: Oh, my God.
COOPER: I mean, Richard has truly committed to this costume.
COHEN: He really is.
COOPER: Yeah. I mean -- by the way, where is he? There is no porta- potties for people here in Times Square. So, I don't even know where he is changing.
COHEN: Oh, that's a good question.
COOPER: Yes. Where is Richard Quest changing?
COHEN: Where is Richard changing? Richard, where do you change?
QUEST: I'll answer that. Hey, hey, hey. If you look over to your left, you will see me. I'm over here.
COOPER: Oh, yes. There you are. Yes.
COHEN: Hello.
COOPER: Richard --
COHEN: Wow. He really --
COOPER: -- where do you change?
COHEN: It looks like something.
QUEST: You don't ask a lady there all sorts of questions.
[23:50:00]
COHEN: Yeah. Don't do that, these questions. By the way, just since --
COOPER: Yes.
COHEN: -- we're talking about it, what kinds of stories does Richard typically cover?
COOPER: Richard covers everything. I've done -- Richard is brilliant. He travels the world. He has a show at CNN International. He does stuff. He is like an aviation expert.
COHEN: Wow.
COOPER: He knows everything about aviation all around the world. COHEN: Wow.
COOPER: He has been in pretty much every country in the world. I mean, I did it -- yeah. I've had some remarkable moments on the air with Richard. I won't go into it, but like he is -- Richard Quest is really, really good at what he does. He doesn't always dress like this.
COHEN: No, I understand that. I have to say, it has stopped raining.
COOPER: It stopped raining.
COHEN: The audience has come alive. It's like a total --
COOPER: Yes. And by the way --
COHEN: -- it's like new day here.
COOPER: Yes. For those of you were at home and dry and warm, I'm glad you are.
COHEN: But, they're not wet at home.
COOPER: Well, yes. There is hundreds of thousands of people here --
COHEN: Yes.
COOPER: -- who are sopping wet --
COHEN: Yes.
COOPER: They've been here for hours, and yet, I will say it's much happier than it was when we first got here.
COHEN: It's much happier. I'm so glad it cleared up.
COOPER: The rain has stopped.
COHEN: We are going to have a great midnight.
COOPER: Yes.
COHEN: The mayor seems to have left --
COOPER: Oh my --
COHEN: -- which is good news for America.
COOPER: I mean, this one, he wants --
COHEN: Yes.
COOPER: -- to stat during the pod.
COHEN: Yes.
COOPER: We're not going to let him --
COHEN: He is looking for a pardon --
COOPER: -- we're not going to let him -- we're not going to let him --
COHEN: -- at Times Square.
COOPER: We're not going to let him do this.
COHEN: He is looking under things --
COOPER: Sweetie --
COHEN: -- with a pardon.
COOPER: -- Sweetie, it is 10 minutes before the New Year.
COHEN: Yes.
COOPER: We're not going to go there now.
COHEN: Lil Jon --
COOPER: We're not going to do this now.
COHEN: -- Lil Jon gave us a meditation --
COOPER: Yes.
COHEN: -- and I thought that was very beautiful.
COOPER: Let's read.
COHEN: OK.
COOPER: Traditionally, on this program, we read New Year's Eve. It's our tradition we read Goodnight Moon. It's a special edition of Goodnight Moon. We're both big, Goodnight Moon fans.
COHEN: Yes. We are. OK. So, shall we do this right now?
COOPER: Yes.
COHEN: OK. Very good. Okay.
COOPER: Good night to the never-ending Eras Tour. Good night to Raygun, who will break dance no more.
COHEN: Good night French Paul Walter, whose pole was too big. Good night expats and yet another Nicole Kidman wig.
COOPER: I love Nicole Kidman. Good night to the girl who taught us all to (inaudible). Good night to the popcorn bucket from Dune: Part Two. I loved it.
COHEN: You didn't see Dune: Part Two? COOPER: I did. I watched it on Apple Vision.
COHEN: Oh, OK. Good night --
COOPER: You have Apple Vision?
COHEN: No.
COOPER: It's great.
COHEN: OK.
COOPER: I know. I love it.
COHEN: Yes. Good night, Chapel and Sabrina, two pop girls who came to slay. Good night lookalike contest of Timothee Chalamet.
COOPER: Good night Ben and -- oh, I don't -- I mean, you do this one. I don't want to do this.
COHEN: Good night Ben and Jennifer 2.0. Good night Usher, shirtless halftime show. That was so conscious.
COOPER: Like, leave them alone.
COHEN: Well, don't get it on me.
COOPER: Like, we've mentioned that several times tonight.
COHEN: This is where you're getting it stand.
COOPER: Yeah. I'm joining the line.
COHEN: Oh.
COOPER: Give me a break.
COHEN: Anderson is taking up for this. Good night, all.
COOPER: Good night, Charli XCX and the Summer of Brat. Good night to those taking the lyrics to define gravity --
COHEN: And really holding space with that.
COOPER: They're just a little too long for me.
COHEN: Good night, crypto. Good night (inaudible), our favorite biting baby, Baby hip Bo (ph).
COOPER: Good night to those very mindful and demure. Good night. Hope it didn't ruin the tour.
COHEN: Do you know what that reference is from?
COOPER: I don't know. Yeah. What is that a reference to?
COHEN: I'm not going to tell you.
COOPER: Is it a Taylor Swift thing?
COHEN: No.
COOPER: I don't know. It's -- I mean, how crazy was Ray (inaudible) on this program?
COHEN: That was --
(CROSSTALK)
COHEN: I have to say, I feel like the whole rain portion of the night was a little bit fever dream.
COOPER: Yes.
COHEN: It was very chaotic.
COOPER: Yeah.
COHEN: It was like two hours of being pounded by the rain --
COOPER: Yeah.
COHEN: -- and (inaudible) really gets amazing. That was an amazing --
COOPER: Incredible.
COHEN: -- soliloquy.
COOPER: So, what's going to happen? I just want to clear for those who maybe were joining us for the first time --
COHEN: OK.
COOPER: -- what's going to happen. We have about 90 seconds until they start to play the song "Imagine" here, and we -- personally, I love like the five minutes before the stroke of midnight, and like the five or 10 minutes after the stroke of midnight. So, we're not going to be yammering on --
COHEN: Yes.
COOPER: -- all during that.
COHEN: You walk.
COOPER: Yes. We want you to experience what it's like being here, because, frankly, it is the most incredible 10 or 15 minutes to be in Times Square on New Year's Eve and experience it.
[23:55:00]
So, we want you at home to experience that as much as -- as closely as possible as we are experiencing. Don't mock me, I drag this out. So, we're going to stop talking about 90 seconds or so. But --
COHEN: Can I wish you a Happy New Year --
COOPER: Yes, you can --
COHEN: -- and say I'm very grateful for you --
COOPER: Yes.
COHEN: -- and I'm very excited to go to Disney this year with you.
COOPER: Yes. And so am I.
COHEN: That is one of the things I'm most looking forward to in 2025 --
COOPER: Yes.
COHEN: -- and I'm very honored to be here with you on CNN every year, and it is so fun just letting loose for this amount of time --
COOPER: Yeah.
COHEN: -- on live television.
COOPER: It's great here.
COHEN: I hope you'll have me back.
COOPER: I hope you won't be fired --
COHEN: Yes.
COOPER: -- and we will see what happens tomorrow.
COHEN: You will see. You don't know.
COOPER: Yes. It's up to the Twitter sphere (ph). Isn't it?
COHEN: Yes.
COOPER: And to all of you who are watching at home, whether you're with others or alone, we are all with you, and we wish you the best for this New Year. So, we're going to be listening to the song "Imagine" here.
COHEN: Mickey Guyton, here she is.
COOPER: Let's listen in.
COHEN: Happy New Year.
(SONG "IMAGINE" BY MICKEY GUYTON)
