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CNN Live Event/Special
World Celebrates New Year. Aired 11:30a-12p ET
Aired December 31, 2025 - 11:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:30:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC)
(CHEERING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN HOST: OK Go in Atlanta, they brought it. That was fantastic. This is a new year. We got to celebrate with the music, celebrate with the fun, festivities.
And, also, we got to talk about New Year's resolutions, right?
WILL RIPLEY, CNN HOST: Yes, we do, because what would new year be without resolutions?
LU STOUT: That's right. And we have got a pretty interesting way of sharing ours with each other and with you. But you got to stick around to find out exactly how.
So keep it here. You're watching CNN New Year's Eve live from across Asia and around the world.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RIIZE MEMBERS: Hi, we are Riize.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We hope 2026 is full of joy, love, and everything you are wishing for.
(APPLAUSE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We can't wait to make even more amazing memories with you all.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's continue to rise together in 2026.
RIIZE MEMBERS: Happy new year!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:38:23]
LU STOUT: Welcome back to see a special New Year's Eve coverage coming to you live from Bangkok, Thailand.
W. RIPLEY: And the heat is on out here. I'm so relieved just to take my jacket off.
LU STOUT: Yes, it's a beautiful jacket. It's a beautiful look, but yes.
W. RIPLEY: Well, it's hot. It's hot.
LU STOUT: It has been really hot out here.
W. RIPLEY: And there's like yoga mats off camera. I don't know what the heck's about to happen, because I have been kept in the dark about this, but I just figured, with yoga mats in the picture, I should take the jacket off.
LU STOUT: Because we're talking about New Year's resolutions, my friend, right?
W. RIPLEY: OK, all right.
LU STOUT: We have been having fun. We have been doing the dance-offs. We have been hanging out with Labubu. We have been playing the games.
Now we're going to talk about our goals for the new year.
W. RIPLEY: OK.
One goal is, I'm never going to do another dance-off. That's one resolution right there.
LU STOUT: No, we got to do it again. Break out of your comfort zone. We're going to have fun here.
OK, we got our New Year's resolutions. We're going to share it with one another, but...
W. RIPLEY: Right. We're going to act them out.
LU STOUT: We're going to act them out.
W. RIPLEY: Yes.
LU STOUT: This is going to be charade style, all right?
W. RIPLEY: OK, OK.
LU STOUT: OK.
W. RIPLEY: So I guess you want to go first?
LU STOUT: I will go first.
W. RIPLEY: OK.
LU STOUT: OK, here we go.
W. RIPLEY: Do you want me to hold -- no, you want to hold your mic or...
LU STOUT: Here, I will give you my mic.
W. RIPLEY: OK. All right.
She's strong. She has not a -- she's -- I don't know. Is that a baby or she's strong? Oh, she's lifting weights. She's lifting weights. You're working -- you're going to work out more. No, you're going to tighten your core. That's your -- wait, your resolution is, OK, specifically to tighten your core.
Plank. Oh, timing. You want to do plank for a long time? No. Oh, time your -- oh, my God, I'm terrible at this. Oh, you're shaving.
[11:40:02]
LU STOUT: You almost got it, daily core exercise.
W. RIPLEY: Daily core exercise, OK.
LU STOUT: I was trying to sign daily, but my bad. You were good.
W. RIPLEY: OK.
LU STOUT: You were close. That was good. That was good.
W. RIPLEY: All right, I was close.
LU STOUT: All right, Will, it's your turn. I can hold your mic if you want me to.
W. RIPLEY: OK. All right.
LU STOUT: There we go. Go for it.
Core. Baby. Baby. Oh, calling -- you're calling. You're calling. And you're calling the baby. You're pregnant. You're not pregnant. You want a baby.
You're calling. You're calling family. You're the baby. You're the baby. You're the baby. And you're calling. You're calling. You're calling your father, the mother, your father and your mother. You're calling your father and your mother together.
W. RIPLEY: Yes, I'm calling -- I'm going to call my parents more.
(BELL RINGING)
LU STOUT: Yes.
W. RIPLEY: That's my resolution. You got it. LU STOUT: I love that. I love that. I love that. I love that. I love
that. Oh. Oh.
W. RIPLEY: I don't know if we have -- so, we were trying to get my parents on Zoom to surprise you. And we went over the tech stuff for like an hour last night.
LU STOUT: Oh. Oh.
W. RIPLEY: But I think they're having some issues with figuring it out. So we're -- they're not on the line at the moment, unfortunately.
LU STOUT: But you -- it's OK, because they're watching right now.
W. RIPLEY: They're watching right now.
LU STOUT: Mr. and Mrs. Ripley.
W. RIPLEY: Yes.
LU STOUT: It's very nice to meet you.
W. RIPLEY: It's OK.
LU STOUT: My name is Kristie. Absolutely love working with your son, Will Ripley.
W. RIPLEY: Yes.
LU STOUT: Immense talent, huge heart, boundless energy. He's had an incredible year. He's going to have a great 2026. And he just made his New Year's resolution.
W. RIPLEY: To do no more dance-offs.
LU STOUT: He's going to call you more often.
W. RIPLEY: And to call you more.
LU STOUT: That's a great New Year's resolution.
W. RIPLEY: Yes. Yes.
LU STOUT: So I know mama and papa Ripley are watching. They're listening to this.
W. RIPLEY: Yes.
LU STOUT: And they're getting excited.
W. RIPLEY: Yes, the technical stuff, we're still working on.
LU STOUT: I love that. I love that.
W. RIPLEY: But they even set up a little shot with their kitchen in the background. It would have been cute. LU STOUT: I know. I know. They worked hard on that.
W. RIPLEY: Yes. Yes.
LU STOUT: But you know what? It's -- tech support for parents, it's a thing.
W. RIPLEY: It's a thing. It's a thing.
LU STOUT: Sometimes, there's issues. It's all right. It's all right.
W. RIPLEY: Yes. Yes.
LU STOUT: There we go. OK, now let's take a listen to Cheat Codes and their song...
W. RIPLEY: "Don't Leave."
LU STOUT: Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
W. RIPLEY: OK.
LU STOUT: Yes.
W. RIPLEY: So, Kristie, I'm told that we've made contact with my parents. And we're trying to get the shot set.
LU STOUT: Yes. Yes.
W. RIPLEY: I honestly have no idea if they're going to make it. I don't know if this is going to work. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
LU STOUT: You got to believe. You got to believe it's going to happen, because we're talking about New Year's resolutions.
W. RIPLEY: Yes.
LU STOUT: And then, Will, you act it out?
W. RIPLEY: Right.
LU STOUT: The New Year's resolution is to talk to your parents. And they're on the line.
(CROSSTALK)
W. RIPLEY: Are they there? Dad and mom, are you there in Glastonbury, Connecticut.
GEORGE RIPLEY, FATHER OF WILL RIPLEY: Do you know why phone is dark here and I'm not seeing any light? I can't see a picture. I can't see...
LU STOUT: Us.
G. RIPLEY: It's on like night mode.
(CROSSTALK)
W. RIPLEY: Hi, dad. Hi, ma.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.
G. RIPLEY: OK.
[11:45:00]
LU STOUT: Hello there, Mr. and Mrs. Ripley.
W. RIPLEY: Can you hear us?
LU STOUT: Happy New Year.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
G. RIPLEY: We can hear you. Happy New Year.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Happy New Year.
W. RIPLEY: Hi.
You're live on CNN. I love you guys. Thank you for making it work. I was afraid we weren't going to get you on. How are you?
G. RIPLEY: Well, thank -- yes.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But not as great as we were -- we are.
G. RIPLEY: Yes, we have to thank CNN for getting us there. So I wish we could say it was our doing, but it wasn't.
LU STOUT: Well, Mr. and Mrs. Ripley...
G. RIPLEY: But it's a wonderful talk to both of you and -- yes.
LU STOUT: And it's so nice to meet you. And we were just talking about your son Will's New Year's resolution. He wants to talk to you more often. And now he's getting a chance to kick off that resolution tonight with this conversation.
W. RIPLEY: I'm very happy to see both of you.
(CROSSTALK)
G. RIPLEY: Oh, that's so wonderful.
W. RIPLEY: I'm curious what you guys are -- what your New Year's resolution is.
G. RIPLEY: Well, I had several I was thinking about, but then was deciding which ones I would break first. And I haven't come to a conclusion yet.
No, we would like to get to speak with you more often too, Will.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Definitely, and see you.
G. RIPLEY: We see you pretty frequently on CNN at various things.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
G. RIPLEY: And it's very exciting.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
G. RIPLEY: We have been watching you all morning.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Many of our friends have seen you. And, yes, you guys look great today.
LU STOUT: Did you...
G. RIPLEY: It's -- and just to put you in perspective here, it's about 31 degrees here. I don't know what it is in where you are, but I'm sure it's a lot warmer.
LU STOUT: Oh, it's like 78 degrees Fahrenheit over here, Mr. and Mrs. Ripley. Did you get a chance to enjoy your son's dance moves?
W. RIPLEY: Oh, I hope they didn't see that.
(LAUGHTER)
W. RIPLEY: Maybe they were busy trying to set up a shot.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Actually, I didn't. That must have been when I was in the shower.
(LAUGHTER)
W. RIPLEY: Oh, thank the lord.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He does some great dance moves.
W. RIPLEY: Let's just pretend that didn't happen. Oh, no, not today.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's done some great dance moves with me.
(LAUGHTER) LU STOUT: I can imagine. He's got some good moves, and he also has some good Mandarin abilities. He did a lip-synch to Teresa Teng (ph).
(CROSSTALK)
W. RIPLEY: I did. I did a lip sync for a song in Chinese. I will have to -- I can actually sing it. It was my karaoke song that I learned in Chinese during COVID, because you guys know I used to sing a lot of karaoke during COVID.
So I will sing it for you sometime. I love you both very much.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That will be great, honey. I look forward to it.
W. RIPLEY: I'm so happy to see you.
And ma just had COVID. Like, she still has COVID.
LU STOUT: Oh.
W. RIPLEY: She got -- she was not feeling well, but she's feeling better, thank God.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I still -- yes, I still have it.
LU STOUT: Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Mrs. Ripley, I hope you get well soon. It was so nice to meet you...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, thank you.
LU STOUT: ... and to meet your husband as well. I absolutely love working with your son.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.
(CROSSTALK)
G. RIPLEY: Nice to meet you as well.
LU STOUT: He is an incredible talent with boundless energy, and he's going to have another great year ahead.
W. RIPLEY: What are you guys doing for New Year's tonight? What's the plan?
G. RIPLEY: Quiet evening at home.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Quiet evening at home, honey.
G. RIPLEY: We're probably going to watch a couple of Christmas movies.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I'm still feeling bad.
W. RIPLEY: OK. Well, I hope you feel better. I love you.
G. RIPLEY: She's doing much better than she was.
(CROSSTALK)
W. RIPLEY: I will call you after -- yes, I will call you after we get off this.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.
W. RIPLEY: Thank you guys for doing this.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sweetheart, bye-bye.
W. RIPLEY: You look great.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're doing great, honey. I was watching you. Take care.
W. RIPLEY: Thank you. I love you. I love you so much. Thank you.
G. RIPLEY: I love you too, Will.
LU STOUT: Goodbye, Mr. and Mrs. Ripley.
G. RIPLEY: Thank you so much.
LU STOUT: Take care. Oh.
W. RIPLEY: They did it. I'm very proud of them.
LU STOUT: They are a blessing, Will.
W. RIPLEY: They are blessing.
LU STOUT: Oh, I'm missing my dad right now. May he rest in peace. My mom, she is tucked away in bed in California right now. And when she gets up...
W. RIPLEY: It's still early there.
LU STOUT: ... I'm going to tell her all about your Teresa Teng lip- synch.
W. RIPLEY: OK.
LU STOUT: And she's going to be over the moon. She's going to love it. She's going to love it.
W. RIPLEY: Yes.
LU STOUT: Happy new year.
And do stay with us, guys, because we are just minutes away from ringing in the new year right here in Bangkok.
W. RIPLEY: Twelve minutes away, to be precise. The excitement's building. We can feel it, the energy, the action.
LU STOUT: It's all happening. It's all happening here.
W. RIPLEY: CNN New Year's Eve.
LU STOUT: That's right. 2026 is well and truly under way in some parts of the world, but, for the rest of us, the party is still to come.
So stay with us.
W. RIPLEY: Right here on CNN. We're going to take you everywhere.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:53:50]
W. RIPLEY: Welcome back to CNN New Year's Eve live from Bangkok.
And we just want you to take a look at what's happening in the skies right now. This is a drone show, a tribute to the late Queen Mother Sirikit.
LU STOUT: Oh, that's beautiful.
W. RIPLEY: Hundreds of drones in the skies right now. We're just minutes away from fireworks. You can see they have created her portrait in drones.
They're in a year of mourning here in Thailand for the queen mother, and they have incorporated her into the celebrations this evening, her memory.
LU STOUT: A beautiful 4-D tribute to the queen mother here in Thailand above the legendary Chao Phraya River, as we await the countdown to a new year. And to a new year, that means New Year's resolution.
W. RIPLEY: So we're back to the resolutions now.
LU STOUT: And I told you about my New Year's resolution, right? And you guessed it correctly.
W. RIPLEY: And they have put a yoga mat on the floor, so I'm a little nervous what's going to happen.
LU STOUT: Because my resolution is to improve my core strength in 2026. And we have got some special guests to help me out with this resolution.
We have got Elisabeth Halfpapp and Fred DeVito, co-founders of CoreBarreFit, joining us now.
Happy new year from Bangkok. Thank you for joining us.
FRED DEVITO, CO-FOUNDER, COREBARREFIT: Oh, we're so happy to be here.
W. RIPLEY: OK, you know my New Year's resolution. I want to -- thank you. I want to improve my core strength in 2026. What are some specific exercises I can do starting now?
[11:55:02]
DEVITO: OK, good. I'm glad you asked, because you're not alone. There's many people out there that want to do something about their core strength. And it's a very intimidating thought.
So we're going to make it real simple for you. When we're talking about core, we're talking about from ribcage, pubic bone, hip bones. This whole wall of muscle, we need to engage in. So we're going to start with the most basic. Lis is going to demonstrate coming down to the floor.
And she's going to start lying on her abdomen, OK? So this is a position where everyone can start. And then she's going to bring her heels to her butt and her hips up. Bingo. Right now, she's bringing her navel to spine from hip bone to hip bone. And you want to drop your tailbone into what we call a tuck position and press your arms into the mat.
Now, you hold that position for duration, meaning start with 10 seconds, 15 seconds, 20 seconds, build your time. You're building strength through compression. And that abdominal wall gets stronger. Your whole body gets stronger. So that's the first exercise.
LU STOUT: I love this.
DEVITO: And then you can drop.
W. RIPLEY: So we have to do that?
DEVITO: You're doing it with us.
LU STOUT: That's incredible, because I already plank. I do some Pilates. I do glute bridge. That is a move I have never done before. We got to try it out really quickly.
(CROSSTALK)
DEVITO: You want to try it with us?
W. RIPLEY: OK.
LU STOUT: And then you have another move to show us too. Yes, yes, please.
W. RIPLEY: I will do the first one.
(CROSSTALK)
W. RIPLEY: So, OK, so I lay down. And then...
LU STOUT: Will is on the mat.
(CROSSTALK)
DEVITO: OK, keep your elbows under your shoulders, Will. Now bring your heels to your butt and your hips up. Boom. And lock your navel to your spine.
LU STOUT: He's got it. He's got it.
DEVITO: You got it?
(CROSSTALK)
DEVITO: Now, if you feel competent with that, the next level is to drop the toes and go to straight legs. And that's what most people do in a plank position on the forearms.
But we like to start bent knee to make it approachable for most. Exactly, Will. You're good at that. And then release down. Oh, good. Now she's going to try. I love this. We're planking all around, Kristie.
This is the way to do it.
(CROSSTALK)
DEVITO: OK.
W. RIPLEY: She was in the gym this morning with weights.
LU STOUT: There we go. We got this.
DEVITO: Yes.
LU STOUT: We got this.
DEVITO: OK. Yes. And we want to make it approachable. So you do the amount of time that you can, stop and start if you need to. We will show you the next move now.
(CROSSTALK)
DEVITO: Sit back to your heels in a...
(CROSSTALK)
DEVITO: .. pose, and then come up to hands and knees for -- hands and knees.
(CROSSTALK)
LU STOUT: Yes.
DEVITO: You with me? LU STOUT: Yes.
DEVITO: All right, now you let your back arch.
LU STOUT: Yes, we're with you, yes.
DEVITO: All right. And now pull the abdomen in like a cat back and hollow the front of your body. Now breathe, but don't release the abdomen. Stay pulled in.
You feel good with that? Next level.
(CROSSTALK)
LU STOUT: You're doing a great job, Will.
DEVITO: Lift your knees off the floor. And there it is.
(CROSSTALK)
LU STOUT: That's right. There we go.
DEVITO: Follow the belly in nice and tight. Press your shoulders back. Feel it on your core.
(CROSSTALK)
LU STOUT: It's like a beast. There we go. You're a beast. You got this, Will. You just lift up those knees and you got this. You're going to plank...
(CROSSTALK)
DEVITO: Now just a little lift of your hips, will.
(CROSSTALK)
DEVITO: ... to 2026.
Little lift of the hips. Watch Lis. Hips up, Lis. Up, up, up, up and knees down. Sit back again in child's pose.
W. RIPLEY: I'm not sure I'm doing any of this right.
LU STOUT: Yes, you got this. Now you do child's pose. You get the reward. You get the reward.
DEVITO: Are you feeling it, Will?
LU STOUT: Good job. Stretch it out. Stretch it out.
W. RIPLEY: Stretches out the back. That's right.
LU STOUT: Yes, we got this.
DEVITO: Stretch it out, Will. LU STOUT: Good job. Oh, Will.
(CROSSTALK)
W. RIPLEY: I like it.
DEVITO: Kristie, you're a good coach.
LU STOUT: Elisabeth and Fred, that was fantastic. Thank you so much.
W. RIPLEY: Yes.
LU STOUT: Now I feel energized by just watching Will do all the hard work. I took mental notes, but thank you so much.
The founders of CoreBarreFit joining us live, so now I can manifest my New Year's resolution for greater core strength in 2026.
W. RIPLEY: But you already have, like, amazing core strength.
LU STOUT: No, this is a continuous process. We got to keep doing this, but they were fantastic.
All right, we are now just less than...
W. RIPLEY: Less than 90 seconds away from the fireworks.
LU STOUT: That's right. And it's just -- and I -- again, I am so excited to be here with you.
W. RIPLEY: Yes.
LU STOUT: My first time experiencing New Year's Eve in Bangkok.
And there is nothing like watching the Chao Phraya light up on New Year's Eve.
W. RIPLEY: Yes, so we have the drones in the air right now.
LU STOUT: Oh.
W. RIPLEY: And then the fireworks are going to be happening in one minute and three seconds.
LU STOUT: That's right.
W. RIPLEY: I'm looking at our clock here. Now we're one minute away from the fireworks.
LU STOUT: It's called the Amazing Thailand Countdown 2026. They call it a 4-D show. You got the fireworks, the pyrotechnics, the lasers and...
W. RIPLEY: So what they have done, so they have barges in the river there. So they floated all the barges here. They're going to launch the fireworks from the barges. And it's going to feel as they're directly above us.
LU STOUT: Oh, my gosh, it's going to be incredible.
W. RIPLEY: It's going to be really spectacular.
LU STOUT: Yes.
W. RIPLEY: We are about 40 -- 38 seconds away from the fireworks here.
LU STOUT: And we also saw the drones as well too.
W. RIPLEY: Yes, the drones.
[12:00:01]
LU STOUT: Everyone brought out their phones just when -- the drones are still under way. So, this is a multisensory experience, and, tonight and last night as well, dozens and dozens of performers coming out to hit the stage.
