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CNN Live Event/Special
United States Celebrates America 250. Aired 11p-12a ET
Aired July 03, 2026 - 23:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[23:00:00]
ROSIE RIOS, CHAIR, AMERICA 250 COMMISSION: -- want to make getting for the new summer of giving.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: So, you're hoping July 4th becomes a giving weekend.
RIOS: Exactly.
ANDY COHEN, RADIO AND TELEVISION TALK SHOW HOST, PRODUCER, WRITER: Yes, that's what she said.
RIOS: That's exactly --
COOPER: Well, I'm just emphasizing that.
RIOS: That's exactly it. And so, this is the launch. July 4th is the launch. We want to make next July 4th, 2027 the largest day of giving in our country's history. And we're doing it in New York City.
COOPER: Cool.
COHEN: Well, that's great. And Taylor Swift started it by donating $26 million.
RIOS: Exactly, exactly.
COHEN: Rosie Rios, thank you very much. And here we go. It is the last hour before the special ball drop. And we are live from the roof of the Knickerbocker Hotel. And we have an amazing hour ahead. Cardi B is joining us. Ricki Lake is going to be here.
COOPER: A lot ahead.
COHEN: A lot ahead.
COOPER: And the ball is going to be dropping.
COHEN: I cannot wait. And we have a new beer that is going to be coming in. I wonder what -- oh, I know what our next beer is.
COOPER: What is it?
COHEN: I know what it is. Are they going to bring it in?
COOPER: I'm not sure.
COHEN: Our next beer?
COOPER: There's a lot going on --
COHEN: I know. Our next beer is --
COOPER: Oh, here it comes.
COHEN: Here it comes.
COOPER: Nick Rizzo (ph).
COHEN: Our next beer from Nick Rizzo (ph). This is Trop Hop --
COOPER: Oh. Wow.
COHEN: -- from my man, Austen Kroll (ph). This is from Charleston, South Carolina.
COOPER: Wow. I love Charleston. I love Charleston. COHEN: Yes. And it's called Trop Hop. And this is Peachy Wheat Ale. And what is yours?
COOPER: Mine is Grapefruit and Passion Fruit India Pale Ale.
COHEN: I'm going to have the peachy one. OK. Very good.
COOPER: OK.
COHEN: Are you enjoying our beer journey (ph) tonight?
COOPER: You know, I literally have not had beer, I think, maybe since college.
COHEN: Yes, I know.
COOPER: And, yes, it's enjoyable. It's -- COHEN: You don't even know how to open a beer.
COOPER: Well, I opened it already.
COHEN: I know, but you've got fuzz coming out.
COOPER: I can't help it.
COHEN: Cheers, buddy.
COOPER: Just as God made me.
COHEN: Yes, you are.
COOPER: It's a line from "Spinal Tap."
COHEN: Yes. Well, you were born that way, born this way. You know what that is a line of? COOPER: Yes, of course. Please.
COHEN: What?
COOPER: Lady Gaga.
COHEN: Yes. Oh, good.
COOPER: Yes. I did --
COHEN: Oh, yes, you did. You did a profile of her. Let me try mine.
COOPER: Wow. Very grapefruit. This is strongly grapefruit.
COHEN: Peachy Wheat Ale Trop Hop. Oh, this is good. Do you like yours? Let me try yours.
COOPER: I'm sticking with this one.
COHEN: OK.
COOPER: Yes.
COHEN: I'll keep this one. All right. Guess what? Everybody is talking about Tay Tay and Trav. We're going to check in on the big wedding at Madison Square Garden. Elizabeth Wagmeister is here. Is anyone leaving the big party early? I want to know.
COOPER: Who is leaving early?
COHEN: Anyone -- have you seen anyone leave?
COOPER: Who would leave?
COHEN: Is anyone, like, off the list?
ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: So, I do have some fresh tea for you. Some guests are leaving early. We have seen some photos of none other than Chris Rock leaving. Hugh Grant was leaving by foot. George Stephanopoulos was leaving in his car. And we have seen a photo of Tom Brady dressed up in a suit outside --
COHEN: George Stephanopoulos was there?
WAGMEISTER: Yes, yes. I know. He was there. He left sometime between 10 and 10:30. And then Tom Brady, who we didn't see going into the wedding, but we have a photo of him outside MSG in a suit. So, we assume that he was there. It looks like he left early, too. So, we know that there were around a thousand people there tonight. So, the far majority, they're still in there, they're still having a fun time, but we have seen some guests leave.
Now, I want to tell you something else that I spotted, and this is kind of juicy. OK? Near the entrance of Madison Square Garden, I spotted a notice that's essentially a release that says, if you walk in here, you are going to be on video, which means that you are essentially signing the rights away. It's a release for filming for your name, image, and likeness to be used.
Now, typically, from my reporting experience, when you see these types of notices in any public venue, it's to be used for commercial purposes. Of course, most brides and grooms, they do have a videographer for their personal usage, but when you're Taylor Swift, personal usage means that that could be for a documentary. She, of course, recently did her Eras tour documentary on Disney+. It could be for a film released in theaters. Remember that she had her Eras concert tour that went out in theaters. Could be for a music video.
So, I'm speculating here. We don't know yet. But it is interesting that we saw that filming notice. So, it's possible that even though this has been kept under wraps, that maybe Taylor will release something out there for her fans and for all of us to see someday soon.
COOPER: Let me just play devil's advocate. If I'm Taylor -- let me just play devil's advocate. If I'm Taylor Swift, I want to document this in a really amazing way for my kids, for whatever.
COHEN: I know, but that doesn't mean they have to have a release saying I could use it however I want.
[23:05:00]
COOPER: -- just want to cover your bases. I don't think she's going to be put --
COHEN: Well, it's a big base covering. But let me say this. I would like to say, CNN is reporting that Hugh Grant and George Stephanopoulos left the wedding early, and they thought they were doing an Irish goodbye.
COOPER: No, no, no. You're saying early. It doesn't mean they left early.
COHEN: Ten-thirty. I don't know.
COOPER: No, no, no.
COHEN: They thought they were doing an Irish goodbye because there were a thousand people there.
COOPER: First of all, George Stephanopoulos probably has work tomorrow.
COHEN: Guess what, sweetie? He's at the wedding of the century. I mean --
COOPER: Well, I would have stayed late.
COHEN: Anyway, they left, and they didn't think the bride and groom were going to notice. But Elizabeth just broke the news on CNN.
WAGMEISTER: Maybe they left for a quick smoke break, right?
COHEN: And I am here for it.
WAGMEISTER: Maybe it was a quick smoke break or something.
COHEN: Maybe it was a smoke. They weren't. George Stephanopoulos ain't taking a smoke break. But let me say this, Elizabeth. You keep your eyes on that exit, and we are going to come back to you because I want to know who else is leaving early. Well, I know --
COOPER: They're not leaving early.
COHEN: Yes, they are.
COOPER: Maybe they're just -- COHEN: It's the wedding of the century. Speaking of the wedding, we are about to really get the scoop because Cheri Oteri joins us. Cheri --
COOPER: Wow!
CHERI OTERI, ACTRESS, COMEDIAN: Oh, my gosh! You guys, you guys, this wedding was fire.
(LAUGHTER)
OTERI: Oh, my God.
COOPER: Did you take a glass from the wedding? Is that from the wedding?
OTERI: Funny story, you guys. Funny story. Listen, listen. So, I'm doing a shot of Casamigos with -- oh, one second, George Clooney.
(LAUGHTER)
COHEN: Oh, George Clooney.
COOPER: Oh, my God. You have a blackeye. COHEN: Yes.
OTERI: And all of a sudden, I hear -- "Shake It Off" comes on, right?
(LAUGHTER)
So, I beeline, I beeline to the dance floor.
COHEN: OK. You wanted to dance. You wanted to dance.
OTERI: I wanted to dance.
COHEN: Yes.
OTERI: So, I'm doing the work, you know, like a lady. (LAUGHTER) And all of a sudden, my shoe flies off and it's at the back of a HAIM sister. Yeah. And so, she comes over.
COHEN: HAIM sister.
OTERI: Yes. And so, she comes over.
COOPER: The who?
OTERI: A HAIM sister. And so, she comes over, all natural, beautiful and everything. And she's like, excuse me, Shelly, right? Listen, who are you here with? The bride or the groom? And I go, I'm here with -- how about Tay Tay? And then she says, well, Tay Tay, Taylor never mentioned you to us. How do you know her? And I go, how do I know her? How about Tay Tay and me? Me and Tay Tay's second cousin, Trina.
(LAUGHTER)
OK. And then I just -- and then I just like booped her. I booped her in the nose.
COHEN: You booped one of the HAIM sisters in the nose?
OTERI: I booped her, yeah. I wanted to lower the temperature. OK?And so -- but she wasn't having it, right? So, then, another HAIM sister comes up from behind me.
COHEN: How many HAIM sisters --
OTERI: And I'm like, what the HAIM? And she comes up behind me. She goes, maybe you should get something in your stomach. And I go, maybe you should get something in your stomach, right? And I was like, burn, right, right? And then I'm like, OK, whatever. So, I'm enjoying like (INAUDIBLE) slider, right?
(LAUGHTER)
And then, all of a sudden, all of a sudden, Patrick Mahomes walks by, and I'm like, Mahomey, you, me, dance floor, right? But then I forget that I only have one shoe on. And so, I face plant, right? My other shoe is still stuck in a HAIM or HAIM. And so, I face plant.
And then, next thing I know, I turn over, and this gorgeous man is standing over me in a suit. He's huge. He's like, excuse me, ma'am, I'm going to need you to come with me. And I'm like, why don't we come together? Because I am not leaving this wedding alone. And he goes, all right, well, then, I'll escort you. And I'm like, yes. So, we walk outside, right? And it's mayhem. I mean, there's so many people. And then I look around, where's my man? And he must have lost me by accident, right?
COHEN: Oh.
COOPER: Oh.
OTERI: And so --
COOPER: You were escorted out.
OTERI: I was. But, you know, I thought we were going to mack. And so, anyway, then we're -- I'm looking around. I'm like, I don't want this party to end. And then, I look up, and I see you two fools. And I'm like, it's on. So, whoa. Where's my Prosecco?
COHEN: Wow. OK.
COOPER: Oh.
OTERI: Everybody was there except you two. But it's OK.
COOPER: Wow. Yes.
COHEN: Wow.
COOPER: Wow. We just heard -- we just heard like Hugh Grant maybe left early. And George Stephanopoulos, too. Did you see them when you were leaving?
OTERI: No. I was on the dance floor most of the night, guys.
COOPER: Yes.
COHEN: I love your dress. I love your look. Is that from when you face planted?
OTERI: Yes, it is.
COOPER: Oh. Wow.
OTERI: But, you know, I'll just put a little eye -- COHEN: Is it worth it?
OTERI: It was so worth it.
COHEN: Yes, it is.
(LAUGHTER)
OTERI: Oh, my God. There's Trina. Trina! OK, guys, I'm going to go, all right?
COOPER: OK.
OTERI: OK.
COOPER: All right. Thank you so much. Thanks for dropping by.
OTERI: Bye.
COOPER: Thank you.
COHEN: Bye.
OTERI: Bye.
COOPER: OK.
[23:10:00]
COHEN: Wow. Wow.
COOPER: Oh, my God. That's incredible.
COHEN: CNN breaking news every second. Guys, we've got -- I don't know. However long. Fifty minutes until the ball drop.
COOPER: Oh, my goodness.
COHEN: Mary J. Blige --
COOPER: Wow. Mary J. Blige, Cardi B.
COHEN: And the ball drop. We will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: And welcome back. Forty-six minutes until the stroke of midnight and America's 250th anniversary.
COHEN: Oh, our --
COOPER: Those are our butter sculptures. We're starting to melt a little bit.
COHEN: A little bit.
COOPER: Still got your smirk. We are live in Times Square where the ball is, yes, going to be dropping soon. Forty-six minutes, as I said.
COHEN: Let's go back to Bill Weir in Arizona at the rodeo.
COOPER: How's it going, Bill?
BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: Hey, guys. Welcome back to Prescott. You just missed the mutton bustin. I'm so sorry. Little cuties hanging on to sheep. As they announced over the loudspeaker, you can't spank your kids anymore, but you can put them on livestock and call it fun in Prescott, Arizona. Eighteen eighty-eight was the first time they had the cowboy tournament. This is Vinnie and Trish. They're from Phoenix. They got front row seats. And we're just killing time before the next event, which I believe is bareback bronc riding.
[23:15:02]
But this -- this is such a fabric of a community event, guys. This thing nearly went under in the 80s. But the locals came together and put their own houses up for -- oh, we got to move back -- put their own houses up for collateral in order to keep this thing going. Can we not show the bronc busters?
UNKNOWN: It's tie down rodeo (ph).
WEIR: Oh. OK. All right. So, we can't show the next event. There are rules when it comes to rodeos. OK. Still figuring it out. COHEN: Oh, rules. We'll get a sense of it.
COOPER: We'll come back -- we'll come back to you, Bill. We don't want to cause any problem.
COHEN: Yes. Rodeo rules.
COOPER: I know. There are rules.
COHEN: Oh, my God. Everybody got rules.
COOPER: We'll come back. We'll come back. I want to go to a performance by Ne-Yo in Times Square. Let's take a look at that.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
COOPER: That was Ne-Yo performing in Times Square. Coming up, Mary J. Blige and Cardi B joining us live. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[23:20:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: And welcome back live in Times Square. We are 38 minutes away from the 250th anniversary of America.
COHEN: We sure are. I can't wait. And you know we're celebrating America all night long. We are both very patriotic people, as you can see from Anderson's gingham patriotic shirt.
COOPER: I'm going to be in Boston tomorrow --
COHEN: Yes.
COOPER: -- for the Boston Pops and the huge fireworks display there.
COHEN: You're going to do tequila shots with Doris Kearns Goodwin.
COOPER: I don't think so. Ken Burns is going to join us, Doris Kearns Goodwin. We've got events in Washington, Boston, New York.
COHEN: That's great.
COOPER: Yes.
COHEN: Tomorrow is going to be a very exciting day.
COOPER: What are you going to be doing tomorrow night?
COHEN: I am going to head to the beach. I'm going to be with my kids and my boyfriend on the beach. Yes.
COOPER: Nice. COHEN: All right, we are going to play "State of Affairs." We are going to pull a random state from this box of states that Anderson is holding. We are going to -- we each have to share a memory from that state.
COOPER: OK. I'm going to --
COHEN: OK. Tennessee.
COOPER: Tennessee.
COHEN: Well, I love Nashville, first of all. You and I have performed at the Grand Ole Opry for AC2.
COOPER: Yes.
COHEN: And, by the way, Anderson and I are going to be in D.C. in October and Philadelphia in November. But one of my Tennessee highlights, besides going to the great smoky mountain as a kid, was going to Dollywood, which --
COOPER: I've never been to Dollywood. I would love to go.
COHEN: I'm one of the --
COOPER: I got to go to the Grand Ole Opry when I was a kid with my dad and got to go backstage. I still have like the program for it. I got a bunch of artists to like sign their names. It's very exciting.
COHEN: I'm one of the few Jews who has visited Dollywood. Arkansas. I don't have many Arkansas memories. Do you, Anderson?
COOPER: Bill Clinton.
COHEN: Well, I know that. Have you visited?
COOPER: I have. I don't have any specific -- Rhode Island.
COHEN: Well, I mean, Rhode Island, the biggest new hit on Bravo in years, "The Real Housewives of Rhode Island."
COOPER: I thought --
COHEN: And I am -- the ocean state. And I am desperate to go spend some time in the summer in Rhode Island. And, of course, the Vanderbilts built castles there, and then lost them all, right?
COOPER: Yes. Mississippi. My dad is from Mississippi, Wyatt Cooper, from Quitman, Mississippi. My grandmother, Jenny Anderson, which I'm named after, had a general store in Meridian, Mississippi, which is also where John McCain crashed his plane and Sela Ward is from.
COHEN: Wow.
COOPER: Yes.
COHEN: Delaware, one of our smallest states, and I took a lover from Delaware once.
(LAUGHTER)
COOPER: My God.
COHEN: He was very gifted.
COOPER: That's so crazy. This is Tennessee already. Wow.
COHEN: Maine.
COOPER: That's your --
COHEN: I went on assignment in Maine for CBS News once when I was an intern. And, of course --
COOPER: Ricki Lake is here.
COHEN: I know she's coming up next. She's already here. OK. Michigan.
COOPER: Ricki, do you have memories of California?
COHEN: Let's bring in Ricki Lake.
[23:25:00]
RICKI LAKE, TELEVISION HOST, ACTRESS: OK. Hi!
COHEN: Hi, Ricki.
COOPER: How are you?
COHEN: You look so good.
LAKE: Happy anniversary.
COOPER: Oy, my God.
COHEN: Happy --
LAKE: Thank you. I love you.
COHEN: -- 250th.
LAKE: Yes.
COHEN: You know, Ricki, you and I are good buddies --
LAKE: For a long time.
COHEN: -- for a long time. You and I were here on September 11th together.
LAKE: Yes.
COHEN: Profoundly changed our life. LAKE: Absolutely.
COHEN: And you moved to L.A. years later. And you lost your home in the fires a year and a half ago. And it's -- you know, your life is so interesting. And you've had so many twists and turns. But you told me the other night that in a weird way --
LAKE: Yes.
COHEN: -- you had gratitude for what the fires brought your life. And what that is a resurgence in New York. Talk to me about that.
LAKE: Absolutely. I happen to love California. But I'm a born and bred New Yorker. I love it here. We lived just a block away from each other for a very long time way back when.
And yes, losing my house, it gave me a lot of perspective. You know, like nothing is permanent. You can't hold on to anything. You need to surrender. And in a lot of ways, I feel like I'm glad my house burned down.
COOPER: How did you know?
LAKE: Well, I was in Malibu.
COOPER: Malibu.
LAKE: And, yes, to say I'm glad my house burned down, it's just a new way of looking at life.
COHEN: Yes.
LALE: You know, you lose everything. And you can also do -- you have opportunity to do anything, to go anywhere. And we landed here. I never thought I'd move back after 9-11. I was so traumatized back then. I had a two-month-old and a four-year-old. I watched the whole thing. It really -- my whole trajectory of my life and career and family life just changed in that moment.
COOPER: How does New York seem to you now?
LAKE: I mean, it is on fire in the best way.
COHEN: Yes.
LAKE: I mean, for lack of a better word.
COHEN: Right.
LAKE: I just -- the energy. I mean, it feels the opposite of 9-11. I don't know if it is for you, too.
COHEN: Yes.
LAKE: You worked that day. I remember watching you that day. I mean, it changed all of us. And I just have such gratitude for this life I get to live, the opportunity that has been given to me, and my career. From the time I'm 18 years old, I've been able to do a lot of different things. I feel a real sense of community for this city and this country.
COHEN: You talk about an American story, and yours is really one. And you look at this chubby girl who gets pulled out of, you know --
LAKE: Obscurity.
COHEN: Obscurity.
LAKE: No money.
COHEN: Starred in "Hairspray."
LAKE: Yes.
COHEN: Then years later, you get this talk show that becomes -- you're competing against the Oprah Winfrey show. I mean, it's an amazing thing. And then you lose it all, and you come back.
LAKE: Thank you, Andy.
COHEN: It's an amazing American story.
LAKE: I feel very blessed that I was that consummate underdog, that fat girl that never really got the guy in high school, and yet I've been able to turn just being like a real person, a real person that does have challenges and overcomes.
COHEN: Yes. But there's an amazing story. Tell it quickly, about the flea market story.
LAKE: Oh.
COHEN: Tell Anderson.
LAKE: OK. So, you didn't know I lost my house, huh?
COOPER: I do not.
LAKE: So, yes, I lost everything.
COOPER: I'm completely out of touch with anything other than --
LAKE: I left in a hurry. I wasn't planning to leave my house. So, I didn't pack, I didn't prepare. We left. It was a very harrowing night. But I lost all my photo albums of my children. My children were born before the iCloud and before Apple.
This woman, the magic of social media, said, I'm trying to reach Ricki Lake. This woman at a flea market in Pasadena found the old photos of me and my children, baby pictures that I had been lost forever. There was a family member that somehow dumped them, that ended up in a flea market, and I got them back, about 80 pictures of me with my children.
COOPER: That's incredible.
COHEN: It is.
LAKE: And they were super tiny.
COOPER: And she recognized who it was and wanted --
LAKE: Didn't know who it was until someone -- Yes. Apparently, she chose the box of photos because she likes color photos of women with particular faces. So, she liked my face for painting, and then she recognized me, and then she found us.
COHEN: Speaking of your face --
LAKE: Oh.
COHEN: -- let's talk about one of the great --
LAKE: It's the gift --
COHEN: -- one of the great lower facelifts of all time.
COOPER: What?
LAKE: I --
COHEN: Shout out your doctor.
LAKE: Dr. Allen Foulad.
COHEN: Yes.
LAKE: To say he's busy these days is an understatement.
COHEN: Yes. Ricki shouted him out.
COOPER: Yes.
COHEN: The guy is booked --
LAKE: I don't have a scar. He is in Beverly Hills.
COHEN: Yes.
LAKE: And he's a wonderful human being. And I'm so glad that I've been able to talk openly and transparently about the work I chose to do.
COHEN: Yes.
LAKE: I lost about 40 pounds. I mean, this is a great -- you guys are seeing my profile. But if you saw me two years ago coming up on the two- year anniversary of my --
COHEN: Oh, my God. Happy anniversary.
LAKE: Thank you. It's a lot to celebrate. There is much to celebrate.
COHEN: And is it fair to say that you guided Rosie O'Donnell to her new face?
LAKE: I would say -- no. I think I'm one of the people that she knew.
COHEN: Yes.
LAKE: She looks incredible. She's so amazing. She has turned -- her life is so exciting right now. She's about to open her off-Broadway with her one-woman show. I love her. I'm a big fan.
COOPER: I didn't know that.
LAKE: But yes, she did have a facelift.
[23:30:00]
And she did say that she would mock her friends for having the procedure, you know.
COHEN: Yes.
LAKE: And then she made the choice. So, I support any woman's decision to do whatever it is they want to do to their bodies.
COHEN: We had Henry Winkler on earlier. We're talking about just American television and icons of American television. You know, the "Ricki Lake Show," I mean, you are the youngest person to have a talk show. And at the time, it became one of the most successful talk shows of all time. It ran for --
LAKE: Eleven years.
COHEN: Eleven years.
COOPER: Eleven years.
COHEN: How do you look back on that show's legacy?
LAKE: I mean, it's -- it's a -- you know, I think everyone is feeling nostalgic these days for 90s in particular. And my show was the show for young people that day. We gave them a platform. We gave them a voice. And I think all of us, I know myself included, I'm looking back on what was a simpler time, you know? You know, television was different. What we watched on television was water cooler moments.
COHEN: Yes. Those of the media --
LAKE: I mean, your show is definitely still like that show that everyone watches and talks about. But back then, there were only like four channels, you know?
COHEN: Yes.
LAKE: And it was a different -- you know, pre-9-11. COHEN: Yes.
LAKE: You know, everything was different. But, you know.
COHEN: I want to play a game called "Can Anderson Name that American?" OK. Anderson has a lot of pop culture blind spots. We're going to present him with various random Americans in pop culture. Ricki is going to guess if he knows who it is.
LAKE: Ok.
COHEN: Anderson is going to try to say who they are, what they do. OK.
LAKE: How liquored up are you right now?
COOPER: I don't drink.
COHEN: And take the names out of the prompter.
LAKE: Oh, yes.
(LAUGHTER)
COOPER: I'm just looking at the prompter.
COHEN: OK. Do you know who that is?
COOPER: Kris Jenner, of course.
COHEN: OK.
LAKE: OK.
COHEN: Very good.
COOPER: Yes.
COHEN: OK.
COOPER: She's lovely, by the way. And very nice. I met her.
COHEN: Guys, take the names out of the prompter. Thank you.
COOPER: I'm not looking.
COHEN: Next one. Do you know who this one is? Ricki, will you know who this person is?
LAKE: I will -- yes --
COOPER: Is that Travis Kelce?
LAKE: Yes. OK.
COOPER: OK. COHEN: Very good. OK. Put the next one up, and let's see. OK. Ricki, will you know who that person is?
LAKE: Oh, yes.
COOPER: I need a rivalry.
COHEN: Yes.
COOPER: Yes. It's hard.
LAKE: Do you know his name?
COOPER: I don't. I'm sorry. I'm very sorry.
LAKE: Connor Storrie.
COOPER: Of course, Connor Storrie. I should know that. And I also met (INAUDIBLE) recently.
COHEN: Yes.
(LAUGHTER)
COHEN: OK. Will he be able to name that person?
LAKE: He should be able.
COHEN: He's not good. Ellie something?
LAKE: Close. Close. Do you know what she does?
COOPER: No.
LAKE: No?
COOPER: She rescues love.
COHEN: What?
LAKE: Oh, he's reading rescue love.
COHEN: Ricki?
LAKE: It's Haylie Duff.
COHEN: Yes.
LAKE: Haylie Duff.
COOPER: Who's she? What's her name?
LAKE: She's a singer. She had a T.V. show back in the 90s.
COHEN: Haylie Duff or Hilary?
LAKE: Oh, it's Hilary Duff. I'm sorry.
COOPER: Oh. OK. All right.
LAKE: I'm sorry.
COOPER: Oh, I've heard the name Hilary Duff. Tom Hanks.
COHEN: Yes. OK. Very good.
LAKE: This is easy.
COOPER: Yes. A certain age.
(LAUGHTER)
Michael B. Jordan.
LAKE: Yes.
COOPER: He's great. He's such a good actor.
COHEN: Yes. Anderson likes him.
COOPER: Tay Tay.
COHEN: Yes, Tay Tay, the bride.
COOPER: The bride.
COHEN: America's bride.
LAKE: Absolutely.
COOPER: Oh, oh.
LAKE: You know her.
COOPER: I know. I know. I love her.
LAKE: She and her brother.
COOPER: Yes. I know her brother. I watched the documentary. I can't believe I'm having to bring --
COHEN: Darling Billie Eilish.
COOPER: I know that.
LAKE: She's great, too.
COOPER: She's so good.
LAKE: She's amazing.
COOPER: God, her music is amazing.
LAKE: Wow, this is fun.
COHEN: I know. Let's put another one.
LAKE: Oh, yes.
COHEN: Can I have another Trap Hop, darling?
(LAUGHTER)
LAKE: That --
COOPER: I don't --
LAKE: OK. Can I give him a hint?
COHEN: Please. Yes.
LAKE: Gymnast.
COOPER: Yes. Simone Biles.
COHEN: Yes!
LAKE: Yes! Yes!
COOPER: OK.
COHEN: Very good. OK.
COOPER: Noggin a little bit.
LAKE: Oh, yes. She's -- come on.
COOPER: Kardashian.
LAKE: No.
COHEN: Oh.
LAKE: No, no.
COHEN: Anderson --
LAKE: She had a number of hits. She was -- can I give it? "Black Eyed Peas" ring a bell?
COOPER: Oh, yes.
LAKE: One word.
COOPER: Yes. I know.
COHEN: The former Duchess of York.
LAKE: Yes.
COOPER: What?
COHEN: Who was the Duchess of York?
COOPER: Sarah.
LAKE: Yes.
COHEN: And what was her nickname?
COOPER: Oh, Fergie. It's Fergie, of course.
(LAUGHTER)
Yes. I'm sorry. I apologize, Fergie. I love -- she's incredibly talented.
COHEN: Do you?
COOPER: She's incredibly talented.
COHEN: Yes, we know that.
(LAUGHTER)
OK. Any idea?
LAKE: Come on. Oh, my God.
COHEN: Bring your love. I got something to talk about it.
COOPER: I don't know.
LAKE: She's a big deal.
COHEN: Sabrina Carpenter.
COOPER: Oh, Sabrina Carpenter. Of course. I know the name.
LAKE: I'm sure she's at that wedding tonight, right?
COOPER: Yes, she was.
COHEN: I don't know. Yes, everybody is there except the three of us.
LAKE: Oh, my God. You have to know her.
COHEN: Big lawsuit.
LAKE: Big, big lawsuit.
COHEN: She was not invited to the wedding.
LAKE: No, she wasn't.
COHEN: Yes.
COOPER: Oh, she was the one with Justin Baldoni.
LAKE: Yes.
COHEN: She fled.
COOPER: Yes.
LAKE: She's married to Ryan Reynolds.
COOPER: God, I'm so embarrassed.
COHEN: Blake Lively.
COOPER: Yes, Blake Lively. Yes. I mean, this is --
LAKE: You're just not good with names.
COOPER: No. I just --
COHEN: Well, he's good with names. He's not good with pop culture.
COOPER: I'm just not good with pop culture.
LAKE: Are there any?
[23:35:00]
COHEN: All right.
LAKE: Oh, yeah. OK. I don't know his last name, but I --
COOPER: I don't know.
LAKE: You don't know who that is? Do you watch Bravo? "Summer House?"
COHEN: Why? Is that Kyle Cooke?
COOPER: Oh, "Summer House." I've never seen --
COHEN: Is that Kyle?
LAKE: Yes, that's Kyle. Is it Kyle?
COHEN: Is it Kyle Cooke? Control room, is that Kyle?
LAKE: That's Kyle.
COHEN: Oh, that's Kyle. Yes, "Summer House."
LAKE: He looks hot there.
COOPER: I haven't seen that one.
COHEN: All right.
LAKE: Wow. Never watched "Summer House."
COHEN: Any idea who that is?
LAKE: Oh. OK. She's a big deal right now.
COOPER: This is painful.
LAKE: She's about to go and have a tour with, I think, all women. Right? She's doing -- she's just announced a big, big tour she's doing.
COHEN: Yes.
COOPER: Sara Bareilles.
LAKE: No, no. But Sara Bareilles --
COOPER: I love Sara Bareilles. And I've had her on my podcast. Yes --
LAKE: I love your podcast, by the way.
COOPER: Oh, thank you.
LAKE: It is so important. Thank you for that.
COHEN: Yes.
COOPER: Yes, I've been listening to a lot of Sara Bareilles.
COHEN: You know what? I've been meaning to thank you.
COOPER: Shut up. Like you've ever listened to it.
LAKE: That's Olivia Rodrigo.
COOPER: OK. Yes.
LAKE: This is fun.
COHEN: Yes. Ricki is loving New York City.
LAKE: Yes.
COHEN: She's in blue.
COOPER: I'm loving Ricki Lake.
COHEN: Oh, no. I mean, Ricki Lake, it's all about --
COOPER: I know.
LAKE: I'm having a good time.
COOPER: Yes.
COHEN: Sometimes, people need to be reminded. COOPER: Yes.
COHEN: I'm here to remind us.
LAKE: I never left.
COOPER: Yes.
COHEN: No, you didn't.
LAKE: I'm like a cockroach.
COHEN: You never left. No, you're not like a cockroach. What was the hairspray line about the cockroach? Well, I mean, it was --
LAKE: That girl got roaches in her hair.
COHEN: Yes.
LAKE: And then Divine says, my little Tracy is a clean teen.
COHEN: Yes.
LAKE: It just came out on Criterion.
COHEN: Yes, it did.
LAKE: Yes.
COHEN: Ricki Lake, thank you so much.
COOPER: Thank you so much.
COHEN: Love you so much.
COOPER: So good.
COHEN: Thank you so much.
LAKE: I love you.
COHEN: She is one of our American legends, an R&B superstar, a Grammy and Emmy winner, an Oscar nominee, and her first Vegas residency, "My Life, My Story" continues this summer at Dolby Live at Park MGM. The one and only Mary J. Blige, MJB. I love you, Mary.
COOPER: Mary, thank you.
MARY J. BLIGE, SINGER, SONGWRITER, ACTRESS: Thank you. Hi.
COHEN: Mary, you are performing tonight as part of the America 250, Giving 4th Broadcast Benefit Show. What are the vibes like in New York City and what are you most excited about performing tonight?
BLIGE: The vibe is incredible. It's flooded out here. It's like people all over the city. Like I'm looking -- everybody -- the blocks are crowded like -- like the day of the Knicks parade.
(LAUGHTER)
COHEN: Yes. You -- Mary, you've sung the "Star-Spangled Banner" at a number of huge sporting events. How do you -- how do you approach singing such a famously difficult song?
BLIGE: Well, I mean -- I mean, you kind of just do it your way, you make it your own, you sing it from the heart, and hope people will sing it with you. But, most of all, you just sing it from your heart. I sing it from my heart. I make it my own.
COOPER: You extended your Vegas residency, "My Life, My Story." You have dates through October. What part of your career, do you think, has been your favorite to relive with your fans and why?
BLIGE: I think my whole career with my fans have been amazing, and I will relive it with them over and over again because they've been so good to me. They're diehard and they're supportive from the 4-1-1 all the way to now, you know. And I have 15 studio albums, and they've been there for every one of them. And right now, this Vegas residency is really, really showing, you know, a testament of their love because they're coming out. I mean, it's beautiful. They're coming in a Mary J. Blige outfits. So, I will relive it all with them. They have been just amazing.
COOPER: Do you ever get nervous anymore when you go on stage like right before you go out or does it now just feel like breathing?
BLIGE: I always get a little bit of nerves but not as much as I used to. And once you're up there, it's cake. But before you go out there, there is always that little bit of nerves.
COHEN: How was -- hey, Mary, what was it like being in the next parade?
BLIGE: Oh, man. I had a blast. I mean, I haven't seen -- I don't even know that many people live in New York. Every block was like flooded, like oceans of people. There was so much love in the air. I haven't -- I haven't felt love in New York like that in like a very, very long time. The next brought it back. It felt amazing.
COHEN: Yes.
[23:40:00]
COOPER: Madison Square Garden, arguably one of the most iconic performance venues in the world. What did it mean to you to have your first ever sold out headlining performance there last year?
BLIGE: I mean, Madison Square Garden is like one of the biggest, you know, landmarks, just the biggest deals in New York. And to have my concert sold out there for the first time and not even -- I mean, just to be headlining at Madison Square Garden for the first time, you know, alone, was just incredible. It's -- like I said, it's another testament to my fans. They came out and supported me, and I Love it. I'm blessed.
COOPER: It's the 250th anniversary of America. What do you -- what are you most looking forward to in this new year?
BLIGE: I'm most looking forward to just peace. You know, peace and everybody enjoying their lives. And more joy, more happiness in New York. New York really needed the joy. And I'm just looking forward to just more peace of mind, more success, being able to enjoy my success, enjoy my family, enjoy my friends, enjoy my life. And I wish the same -- I hope the same thing for everyone else.
COHEN: Hey, Mary, what -- so, what are you performing tonight?
BLIGE: I'll performing "Real Love," "Love No Limit," "You Are Everything," "I Can Love You," "Family Affair," "Just Fine." And America, the beautiful --
COHEN: Wow!
BLIGE: -- a bunch of the people.
(LAUGHTER)
COHEN: Wow! That is great. Well, Mary, you've met so many people. I want to -- I want to run through some notable people. We're going to guess whether you've met them or not, and then you're going to reveal whether you've met them. Have you met Dolly Parton?
BLIGE: OK.
COHEN: I think --
COOPER: I think so. Yes.
COHEN: Have you?
BLIGE: I'm not sure. I don't remember. But I wish --
(LAUGHTER)
-- if I didn't, I want to. I love Dolly Parton. I love her.
COOPER: Yes.
COHEN: Yes. Hey, Mary, have you met an astronaut?
BLIGE: No. Never.
(LAUGHTER)
COHEN: No. All right.
COOPER: Astronauts are cool.
COHEN: Yes.
COOPER: Met a bunch.
COHEN: Mary, have you met all five members of the "Jackson Five?"
BLIGE: No, I haven't. I only met Michael and Janet.
COHEN: All right. Well, that's a good start. Have you met a ghost? Have you ever met a ghost? Have you ever seen a ghost?
BLIGE: I don't want to say.
(LAUGHTER)
COHEN: Oh.
COOPER: All right.
COHEN: All right. Hey, have you ever met Grace Jones?
BLIGE: No. Never. I would love to meet Grace Jones. She's like --
COOPER: I saw her perform --
BLIGFE: the queen of all this fashion stuff that we're doing.
COHEN: Yes, she is.
COOPER: Yes. I saw her perform at Studio 54 when I was 11, in 1978.
COHEN: Wow.
COOPER: Yes. She was awesome.
BLIGE: Wow.
COOPER: Have you met Barbra Streisand?
BLIGE: No. Yes. Yes, I did. I spoke to her like briefly. I did a song with her on my Christmas album.
COHEN: Wow! All right. Now, have you ever met a Mary J. Blige drag queen?
BLIGE: One hundred percent.
(LAUGHTER)
One hundred percent.
(LAUGHTER)
COHEN: And do you consider it a compliment? What is that experience like for you? Are you down for that?
BLIGE: I love it. I mean, I love the way that they do it better than me, like the hair is nice, clothes are nice. I mean, they look like me. It's crazy. It's like, wow, this is crazy. (LAUGHTER)
COHEN: That's awesome.
COOPER: Yes.
COHEN: Mary J. Blige, we love you so much. Thank you so much for hanging out with us tonight.
BLIGE: Thank you. All right, guys, happy holiday. Thank you.
COOPER: Yes. Have a great --
COHEN: OK. Happy holiday.
COOPER: All right. Take care.
BLIGE: OK.
COHEN: Coming up next, Cardi B. will join us --
COOPER: And the ball drop.
COHEN: -- and the ball drop.
COOPER: Fifteen minutes away.
COHEN: We will see you in a little bit.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[23:45:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AMY SEDARIS, ACTRESS, COMEDIAN: My Favorite American is the one who votes.
JUNE DIANE RAPHAEL, ACTRESS, COMEDIAN: My favorite American is Jane Fonda.
GEENA DAVIS, ACTRESS: Eleanor Roosevelt was an incredible inspiration and, you know, was just a powerhouse her entire life. And I Wish that I could play her one day.
RACHEL LINDSAY, MEDIA PERSONALITY, ATTORNEY: If I am pointing out my favorite American, I'm going to give it -- we can do past and present. I'm assuming. So, I'm going with the past, and I'm going with Harriet Tubman.
JERRY O'CONNELL, ACTOR: Happy fourth of July, everybody. Happy 250th birthday, America. My favorite American has got to be Dorit Kemsley because -- I don't care what your accent is. You're American, Dorit. We know it.
NICK LACHEY, SINGER, SONGWRITER: What's more American than baseball? So, my favorite American is not a person, but a team, the Cincinnati Reds because they're the oldest professional baseball team in the country.
COLMAN DOMINGO, ACTOR: My favorite American is Bayard Rustin, who organized the march in Washington for jobs and freedom.
ROSIE O'DONNELL, TALK SHOW HOST, COMEDIAN: My favorite American is Jimmy Carter, President Jimmy Carter. I loved him. I thought he was a man of peace and the most Christlike president we've ever.
MATT ROGERS, ACTOR, COMEDIAN: My favorite American is the Tony- winning star of "Wicked," Idina Menzel.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COHEN: All right. OK. Well, actually, we have more breaking news on people sneaking out of the wedding.
COOPER: They don't sneak.
COHEN: Elizabeth Wagmeister --
COOPER: They're not sneaking.
COHEN: Well, guess what? I want to know. Elizabeth, who's leaving -- who did you see leaving the wedding?
WAGMEISTER: Andy, you are going to get me so much trouble. But I am here to bring you the tea. My favorite early exit that we have seen now is Steven Spielberg. OK? Steven Spielberg is, like. I got to go, I got to get to bed. We also saw Jessica Alba leaving.
And I have to tell you that, of course, the very famous people, they are going to exit discreetly in their cars through this tent. But just a few moments ago, I saw a couple coming out, this woman in the beautiful red dress and a man in a tux, and they were just right here on the street waiting for an Uber.
So, I think a lot of these people, the not famous ones, because, remember, there are a thousand people here, not everybody is a celebrity, I think some of them are saying, I don't want to wait in this line to go, I'm just going to take my own car out of here, a very New York City moment.
COOPER: Yes. Makes sense.
COHEN: Very good. All right. Thank you, Elizabeth. And we are about to hit midnight.
COOPER: Ten minutes away.
COHEN: Cardi B is going to join us. We will be right back.
[23:50:00]
COOPER: Yes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: In about seven minutes, our nation turns 250 years old. Fifty years ago, when America celebrated its 200th birthday, in 1976, there were events all over the country. But New York celebration was the biggest. It was called "Operation Sail," a parade of ships more than 200 from all over the world paying homage to America and to the maritime history of New York. Gerald Ford was president then, and he came here to see it as did six million people who flooded the piers and shoreline all around Lower Manhattan and New Jersey to catch even a glimpse of this glorious gathering.
I just turned nine years old that summer, and my mom and dad and brother and I joined the throngs heading downtown. It was exciting to be part of something so big, so historic. And it's exciting to see my mom on the subway. It was the first and only time I think she ever rode on one. In her defense, they were a lot rougher back then. So was the city. Crime was high in New York.
There was a fiscal crisis across the country. Optimism was low. The Vietnam War was still fresh. The Cold War was hot. There had been Watergate, the energy crisis. The country felt desperately divided. And yet, people came together. They wanted to come together despite or maybe because of all of that. Fifty years later, that feeling of division and distrust and desperation for many, it is still there. Maybe it has even deepened.
[23:55:00]
And yet, tonight and tomorrow, in towns and cities, large and small, families and friends, strangers and neighbors will come together to celebrate who we have been, what we are, and who we can be.
My mom was a remarkable optimist. With wonder and excitement, she would say the phone can ring and your whole life can change. I've always been more pessimistic. It is true, the phone can ring and your whole life can change, but it doesn't mean it's for the better.
I've never allowed myself, however, to be pessimistic about this country. I spent almost 35 years traveling the globe. I've worked in more than 70 countries. I've seen governments and dictators rise and fall. People in places torn apart by lies and hate and war. And I've seen people do things and heard them say things that I could never have imagined. I've seen what we humans are capable of when everything else is stripped away Yes, great acts of barbarism and brutality, but we are also capable of remarkable acts of heroism and kindness. It's a choice. And the choice is up to us.
Two hundred and fifty years ago, a small group of very imperfect men signed a document claiming that human beings are born with rights, alienable ones, rights that no king gave them and no government could take from them. They did not have evidence, however, that what they were hoping for, what they were founding would work or last, but it has. And however imperfectly, it still is lasting and working.
Throughout human history and throughout this country's history, people thought that we were near the end of our story, but they were wrong. And though it has been said for more eloquent -- said far more eloquently by others before me, I have to believe that we are still very much in the middle of our story.
Robert Heinlein wrote that every generation believes it invented sex and every generation is wrong. Well, every generation also believes the challenges it faces are unprecedented. And the challenges we now face certainly feel that way, too, sometimes. Perhaps, they are. We're in the midst of a technological revolution. Perhaps, a political one as well. But generations of Americans have seen all manner of revolutions before, and we have survived them. Riddled by divisions, yes, but we've done it together.
Let's hope, 50 years from now, someone standing here or somewhere on the eve of the 300th anniversary of this Republic will look back and say of us, they didn't know if they would make it through, but they did. They did it together then, too.
Let's listen in to Brad Paisley and the ball drop.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
COOPER: And that was Brad Paisley. Incredible performance there. We are a minute --
COHEN: Is he -- is he up on top of that building?
COOPER: Yes, he is.
COHEN: Is that where they all are?
COOPER: Yes.
COHEN: That's incredible.
COOPER: We're a minute and 20 seconds away from the ball drop.
COHEN: There it is. I mean, this is the first ball drop.
COOPER: It is also fascinating because, actually, Times Square is now packed. The blocks below --
COHEN: Yes.
COOPER: -- I mean, it almost looks like -- frankly, like New Year's Eve --
COHEN: Yes.
COOPER: -- for many blocks.
COHEN: Yes.
COOPER: There are --
COHEN: They didn't shut it down to traffic because the NYPD was taxed with the World Cup. And everything else --
COOPER: They didn't want to have another big public event. But they have allowed people to come. And there are -- I mean, there are thousands and thousands of people.
COHEN: And the crowds are starting to go crazy. We're 40 seconds away from the summer ball drop commemorating 250 years of America.
COOPER: Tomorrow, there will be -- the ball is starting to lower here. You see it.
[00:00:00]
Let's watch down. Let's watch the countdown.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): Twenty-five, 24, 23 --
