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CNN Live Event/Special
CNN New Year's Eve Live; Tokyo and Seoul Welcome 2026; The World Welcomes 2026. Aired 10-10:30a ET
Aired December 31, 2025 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: -- another year, another year of hopefully good health, good vibes, good energy, and I really wish the same for you guys as well.
[10:00:06]
I mean, this show has been incredible and you guys, just Happy New Year.
And just momentarily now, I mean, people are clapping now to countdown until 2026. I think I should start joining in on the clapping too here, just a few seconds away now, you guys. But here we are, okay, ten seconds now.
WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Eight, seven, six, five, four, three --
MONTGOMERY: Four, three -- Happy New Year!
RIPLEY: Happy New Year!
Happy New Year to the folks in South Korea, where it's now 2026, also 2026 now in Tokyo where Hanako is.
KRISTI LU STOUT, CNN ANCHOR: It's already a new year in Seoul. It's already a new year in Tokyo. Hanako Montgomery is standing by for us there.
And, Hanako, we know how folks have been celebrating there. I saw the mascots dancing behind you.
MONTGOMERY: Happy New Year.
RIPLEY: She's got a costume change.
STOUT: Hey.
MONTGOMERY: I do. I have a lot of wearable props this year, just in case we forgot it is 2026 this year.
[10:05:00]
I hope you like my sparkly golden hat. Kind of makes me look like a unicorn as well. But it's been a great start to the New Year, lots of beautiful projection mapping and sparklers over here in Tokyo. And I can report guys, as someone from the future, 2026 is off to a great start.
RIPLEY: And it looks like the weather's pretty nice there. You don't have to bundle up too much, which is good. Some years it can be really cold.
MONTGOMERY: Yes, I know. I mean, I do have a space heater, so I am cheating just a little bit. But it's definitely warmer than it was last year, so that is something. I'm also wearing so many layers, you guys. I also have a puffer jacket on the side here, so I do another costume change just in case I get really, really cold.
But I'm sure it will. As someone who's lived in Tokyo, you know how cold it gets, especially at night and when you're standing still. So, those space heaters, I mean, they are a lifesaver.
RIPLEY: Yes.
STOUT: Hanako, stay warm, my friend. Happy New Year.
RIPLEY: Basically, you can actually lose f feeling in your feet. They just -- your feet just disappear. I'm walking on ice blocks. But you're doing a good job. Fake it until you make it, because I thought it was actually warm. You look like you're just, you know, chilling nice and toasty.
STOUT: And continue to celebrate with the entire cast of Sanrio. I noticed My Melody and Hello Kitty that were dancing behind you. Go get warm, go celebrate with your friends. Hanako Montgomery, thank you so much and happy New Year.
RIPLEY: And let's go to Abu Dhabi now because John and Becky are waiting on a very special delivery.
RIPLEY: Yes, take a look at the tasty treat. They'll receive in just a moment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BALVEER BALKISSOON, CHEF, FOUQUET'S ABU DHABI: Hi, John and Becky. Chef Balveere here. Happy New Year 2026.
I can't let to ring in the New Year without trying this amazing burger which Tom Cruise order every time he's in town. And seeing you as you are just across the road, I am going to send it to you with a special air delivery. Enjoy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIPLEY: With a drone.
STOUT: Well, apparently, it is.
RIPLEY: Now what's happening?
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR: Absolutely. I can see the light just over John's head. Can you see that? JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: We have a food delivery.
ANDERSON: Touchdown is, as you say, Kristi, in about 20 seconds going over --
RIPLEY: That is wild.
ANDERSON: -- what is the finish line on the track here.
RIPLEY: I'm impressed and also like a little freaked out. I don't know why. It's just is like we're living in the future, guys. That's so cool.
BERMAN: I'm sorry, my jaw's just on the ground here. I'm getting hungrier and hungrier and hungrier, watching --
ANDERSON: Now, the question is, are they going to just drop it or is it going to land?
BERMAN: I'm going to hold my arms out for the burger.
RIPLEY: This reminds me of the --
BERMAN: They won't let us out of these chairs, I think, because they're too nervous if we move.
ANDERSON: Touchdown is imminent. It's coming, the Fouquet order. Nice restaurant, by the way. It is on the ground.
RIPLEY: Wow.
ANDERSON: Thank you chef. Thank you, Fouquet Restaurant.
RIPLEY: Is it still hot?
ANDERSON: How about that, John? Are you hungry?
BERMAN: We're going to find out in just one second here. Our food is coming over.
ANDERSON: Well, this is my instructor who is still smiling at me, even though I was a rubbish driver earlier on.
Let's have a look at that.
RIPLEY: Wow. That is service right there. Do you leave a tip?
BERMAN: Do you mind?
RIPLEY: Do you tip the drone? How does it work?
BERMAN: I'm going in.
ANDERSON: Do you tip the drone? Exactly. How is it, John?
BERMAN: It's good. I think the altitude makes it better. Oh, they actually have your own. But I feel it better. Good, have mine. Have mine.
RIPLEY: It's still warm and toasty?
STOUT: It's still warm. It's toasty. It's gourmet drone delivery, five-star service.
ANDERSON: It's still warm.
STOUT: No tipping involved here.
RIPLEY: Man, that's very cool.
ANDERSON: I can understand why.
RIPLEY: I'm impressed. I don't want to --
BERMAN: Becky doesn't want to eat on television here.
RIPLEY: We're going to -- we're just going to make them keep talking while they're eating.
BERMAN: These burgers --
STOUT: I'm just gobsmacked.
BERMAN: If it wasn't clear, to Tom Cruise, he's filmed a whole bunch of -- Tom Cruise has filmed a whole bunch of movies here in Abu Dhabi. And every time he comes here, he goes to this one restaurant and orders this burger. And so this burger's now famous and the chef sent it to us air mail.
ANDERSON: And let me tell you, it is --
RIPLEY: Does Tom Cruise also get it delivered by its drone?
ANDERSON: It's been really -- no. He will want to do that next time he's here.
I want to be completely transparent about this. It's been really, really windy here today. So, the Saadiyat Island restaurant, Fouquet, is about 25 minutes' drive from here, and it's actually been slightly too windy to fly that all the way.
[10:10:08]
But we want to give you an idea about drone deliveries, because 2025 Kia and around the world was all about A.I. and advanced tech. And you hear a lot of talk about autonomous vehicles both in the air and on the ground about robotics. And this is new technology, which will be in 2026, delivering burgers like this.
BERMAN: Keep talking because I'm eating.
ANDERSON: It is absolutely remarkable. I don't know.
BERMAN: Absolutely remarkable. ANDERSON: The food was hot.
RIPLEY: I want a drone to deliver us some food now.
ANDERSON: And given what we've been doing today, you've seen us on the track, you've seen us on the rollercoaster, what else have we -- seen us dune bashing, I think we are due something to eat. No, we're not -- we are not due anymore dune bashing. We thought we were due something to eat. And so folks, that is what we're going to do. This is mine.
BERMAN: Back to you. Back to you.
ANDERSON: I've got mine to go.
BERMAN: She's got some work to do. Enjoy. Happy New Year.
RIPLEY: John, you're not going to want to leave Abu Dhabi. You just -- I mean, you're having so much fun there.
STOUT: I was going to say.
RIPLEY: And just move on over.
STOUT: And props to Becky Anderson, the ultimate tour guide, giving you the six-star experience in Abu Dhabi, something that you will never experience anywhere else. Becky, what an amazing itinerary.
RIPLEY: Very cool.
BERMAN: It's only going to get better too.
ANDERSON: Are you asking me to talk to you? I still go -- my mom would kill me.
STOUT: No, I'm just going to say -- oh my God, no, no, no.
ANDERSON: When you know that.
STOUT: Okay.
RIPLEY: We're just going to keep asking you questions while you try to eat because we're going to be like that annoying dinner guest. So, can you recite the alphabet backwards for us now?
STOUT: Enjoy the burger, enjoy the delivery.
ANDERSON: Happy New Year.
RIPLEY: Happy New Year.
STOUT: Happy New Year, savor it all. John, Becky, thank you so much. We will catch up with you a little bit later.
RIPLEY: So, much like, the cars that John and Becky were in, pop culture, we know that it moves very, very fast. STOUT: Yes. In fact, coming up, Will and I, we're going to try to predict what's going to be in this next year and what trends are so 2025.
RIPLEY: No idea why we're -- they're asking us, like we know, but anyway.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi. We're Twice.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And we would like to wish everyone happy and healthy 2026.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:15:00]
STOUT: Welcome back to CNN New Year's Eve Live and our live coverage from all around the world, including here in Bangkok, and we are now joined by the two loveliest ladies in the kingdom tonight. We have. Miss World Opal Suchata and her mother, Su. Happy New Year.
OPAL SUCHATA, MS. WORLD 2025: Hello, Happy New Year.
STOUT: We're so happy you could be with us tonight. How are you feeling?
SUPATTRA CHUANGSRI, MOTHER OF OPAL SUCHATA: Very exciting.
SUCHATA: Yes. We're so happy to be here and we're so happy to be welcoming you guys in Thailand and to celebrate, you know, and just the most wonderful time of year, you can have the most fun before starting a new chapter of your life.
RIPLEY: We are going to get to do a full interview with you very soon. This is just like a little secret preview, but we wanted to bring your mom on because I drop dead gorgeous, both of you. I'm actually with the three most beautiful women in the kingdom right now.
SUCHATA: Thank you so much. Thank you. Yes, everyone says we look the same, so I guess that's the most wonderful compliment I could ever get.
STOUT: That's right. These are sisters here in the kingdom tonight. And you must be so proud of your daughter, Opal, being Miss World.
CHUANGSRI: Yes. I'm so proud that she was Miss World and especially proud that she was my daughter. Yes.
STOUT: Well, she is gorgeous, she is talented and she has a big heart. And we'll be talking more in just a moment on CNN. Our audience, they don't want to miss this interview. RIPLEY: So, before we talk to Opal, I got to do an interview guys with one of my favorite South Korean actors, Hyun Bin. I got to sit down with him. Like I was interviewing him for this fan event, for his new Disney series, Made in Korea, but I was so excited, I almost forgot to ask him about the project, we forgot. So, I got a little bit of a lecture from the P.R. folks. But, anyway, it was a really fun interview. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RIPLEY: I watched you on Crash Landing on You during the pandemic twice. I watched the whole series from start to finish twice while I was in quarantine. And I cried. I sobbed both times. That performance, the chemistry between you two was some of the best chemistry on screen I think I've seen.
And I was thinking to myself, gosh, it's almost like this is a real life romance, and it turns out it was. So, is that why it came across so well on screen because you guys were connecting in real life?
HYUN BIN, ACTOR, MADE IN KOREA: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE).
RIPLEY: What is it like when you're not working? What's life around the house like, as you know, as a new mom and dad?
BIN: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE).
[10:20:00]
RIPLEY: When you go to the playground, are you mobbed by people or are, do they leave you alone?
BIN: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE).
RIPLEY: You're not really active on social media. As far as I can tell, you're not posting things. You might have publicity photos there, but you're not taking selfies on your everyday life. As a big of a star as you are, that's astounding to me, that you have been able to manage to draw that line and I give you a lot of respect for that. How did you came to that decision?
BIN: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE).
RIPLEY: Do you have any New Year's resolutions?
BIN: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE).
(END VIDEOTAPE)
RIPLEY: Made in Korea, watch him on Made in Korea. I need to pull the plug in out of guilt for asking him all those other questions.
STOUT: That was such a great interview.
RIPLEY: I am so excited.
STOUT: And Hyun Bin is a legend.
RIPLEY: Yes.
STOUT: He's a superstar. He's a family man.
RIPLEY: Iconic.
STOUT: He's also a South Korean hotty.
RIPLEY: Yes. He's never going out of style. He's definitely going to be in in 2026.
It is hard to predict though the next big thing, right, and the trends are always changing so fast. But Kristi and I are here now to give it a try.
STOUT: This is our next game that we're doing here in CNN New Year's Eve Live from Asia, has the world moved on from Labubu? Has the world moved on from matcha, the phrase in 2025? Or will those trends continue into New Year?
RIPLEY: We're going to look into our magic hat and we're going to find out. And I think Hanako and Bijan are joining us as well.
STOUT: That's right. Our pals and colleagues are joining us from Tokyo and also Hong Kong.
RIPLEY: So, our wonderful, brilliant Hong Kong engineers have laser- printed us all these paddles. And now we're going to draw out topics out of the hat and we can all vote on whether they're in or out.
STOUT: All right. So, first topic --
RIPLEY: I'll go first. Dubai chocolate, definitely in.
BIJAN HOSSEINI, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER: I got to go in. I got to go in, Dubai chocolate.
STOUT: Oh, I've been outvoted.
RIPLEY: Kristi.
STOUT: I think it's a little bit too sweet, even the dark chocolate version. I don't know. I do like the color combination though, like the pistachio green with the chocolate. But I think, for me, it's kind of out. And now I feel kind of bad.
RIPLEY: You are outnumbered, Kristi Lu Stout.
STOUT: All right. Here we go. Next topic, in or out in the New Year, letting ChatGPT plan your vacation. Sorry, letting ChatGPT plan your vacation.
RIPLEY: Because, honestly, I feel like it's not getting any turnover (ph).
HOSSEINI: It can do it all.
STOUT: You've got to be creative, you guys. I want to hear from Bijan. Bijan is the outlier here. Why are you saying using ChatGPT to plan your vacation is in for 2026?
HOSSEINI: Look, I just feel like it does a good job at aggregating all that information that's out there. It cuts through the noise and makes life a little easier.
But remember, guys, in 2026, we're taking more chances. So maybe not even planning itinerary, just get out there and see what happens when you get in the country you're visiting.
STOUT: I like that.
RIPLEY: It's fun to do it the old fashioned way.
STOUT: I like that. I like that uncertainty answer. I like that theme.
RIPLEY: All right. Next one, matcha, matcha.
STOUT: Matcha, matcha, matcha, matcha.
MONTGOMER: Matcha.
HOSSEINI: I mean, it's timeless.
STOUT: Agreed, timeless.
RIPLEY: You got to love matcha.
(CROSSTALKS)
STOUT: Yes. Oh, Bijan. Matcha is timeless. Hanako.
MONTGOMERY: Matcha is timeless, timeless.
STOUT: There we go. There we go, you heard from Hanako.
Okay. We got this, we got this. What do we have? Reclining your airplane seat.
RIPLEY: This is a hard --
STOUT: In or out?
RIPLEY: A hard out for me. If you're sitting in a cramped flight and it's like less than like a five-hour flight, I don't think you should recline your seat, in my opinion. Am I the only one that feels this way? Come on.
STOUT: I'm sorry. You purchase the seat, you buy the ticket. I'm like 5'10. I need leg room. Yes, I'm going to recline my seat.
RIPLEY: And you two feel this way as well, really? [10:25:01]
I never recline my seat.
MONTGOMERY: Yes, I agree with Kristi.
RIPLEY: I always leave it up.
MONTGOMERY: Yes, I agree with Kristi. If you're paying for the ticket --
HOSSEINI: Maybe it depends on how long the flight duration is. Yes.
STOUT: All right, we got one last topic, guys.
RIPLEY: We have one last topic, guys.
HOSSEINI: Maybe if it's above only four hours, that's okay. If it's under four hours, it's not okay. Last one.
RIPLEY: All right, last topic, in or out, legacy media. No, I'm just kidding. That's not what it says. Don't answer that. Labubu.
STOUT: Labubu, don't answer the question. Don't answer the question.
RIPLEY: Oh, you can't answer whether Labubu's in or out.
STOUT: All right. We're going to find out after the break. No, no. No paddles. No paddles. We're going to find out after the break. Don't go anywhere. When we come back, paddles down, we're going to decide if Labubus are in or out for 2026.
RIPLEY: She just swatted my paddle.
STOUT: I did. I'm swatting it down.
RIPLEY: With her tennis skills.
STOUT: Keep it here to -- keep it here to find out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STELLA COLE, SINGER-SONGWRITER: Happy New Year. I'm Stella Cole and my wish for the New Year is to read more books. Have a wonderful year.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:30:00]
