Less than an hour earlier than midnight on the East Coast, Anderson Cooper was despatched into uncontrollable convulsions of laughter by the sight of John Mayer reporting in for the brand new 12 months from a Tokyo cat bar. As a part of CNN’s New Year’s Eve protection, Cooper and Bravo host/producer Andy Cohen did their annual Times Square countdown Sunday night time.
But when Mayer checked in from Tokyo, sitting on the counter of a bar occupied by a number of cats on what was then Monday afternoon in Japan, it pushed Cooper into his trademark high-pitched giggle. It possible didn’t assist that Mayer had one of many feline’s butts in his face, because the guitarist/singer ably performed it fully straight as he mentioned his location through satellite tv for pc.
As Cohen launched Mayer, Cooper already began to crack, smiling and making an attempt to carry in laughter earlier than they shared their feed of Mayer with the viewers at home.
“Happens to be a dear friend of mine, we are joined by John Mayer at a cat cafe in Tokyo,” Cohen mentioned as Anderson laughed within the background. “This doesn’t look sanitary, John.”
“You know what, I believe it passes all health codes — I think it’s just fine,” Mayer mentioned.
Meanwhile, Cooper seemed like he had simply change into the Joker.
“Yes, we are at a cat bar. It’s called Cats in the Box, in Tokyo, celebrating New Year’s. We are already halfway through the first day of 2024,” Mayer associated, making an attempt to play his a part of correspondent.
Gesturing towards the array of cats all walking throughout the bar, Mayer mentioned, “I’m hear with Shin, and five other proprietors of the bar.”
Cohen tried questioning Mayer in regards to the bar as Cooper appeared like he could also be about to pee himself with pleasure.
“You’re in the bar, and there are cats everywhere. They are licking each other,” Cohen continued.
“Yeah. This is a place you can come, enjoy a drink or two, and talk to cats. It’s a cat bar,” Mayer reasonably stoically responded. “I mean, I don’t know how much more clear I can be about the objective of this place.”
“I can’t see Anderson, but I know exactly what he looks like right now,” Mayer mentioned, acknowledging what he was certainly listening to through an earpiece.
“Yes, yes you do,” Cohen mentioned, Cooper unable to talk at that second. The Vanderbilt inheritor clutched his chest and stepped to the facet, unable to regain his composure.
“He is gone. He is off with the fairies, here,” Cohen added. “Just the shot of the cat’s ass in your face is making him delirious.”
Cooper continued to snort, watching Mayer feed one of many cats, lastly gaining management of himself with a face possible sore from smiling. He acquired it collectively simply in time for Cohen to ask Mayer to play a recreation with them, the winkingly titled “Name That Pussy,” wherein they attempt to guess the names of the cats.
But by the point they acquired to the primary reply, a cat’s butt was turned with the anatomy going through immediately into the digital camera. Cooper was no match for this sight, face crinkling once more, although he was in a position to get phrases out this time.
“I mean, the shot–” Cooper mentioned.
“The shot is crazy,” Cohen added, taking a look at his view of the cat’s butt whereas Mayer fed a paste to the cats. The newly hysterical Cooper lined his face as he watched what was unfolding.
Cohen continued the interviewing, asking Mayer what 2024 was like since they have been nonetheless in 2023.
“Well, if it’s anything like my 2024, you’ll be surrounded by cats,” Mayer quipped, fully straight-faced.
Even Cohen did a little bit of a spit-take, compelled to bend over as he took a sip of his drink. Covering for Cooper, Cohen talked about how a lot his cohost beloved Cohen’s SiriusXM channels and helped Mayer get into plugging his personal new satellite tv for pc radio channel.
Mayer described his curated channel with a metaphor, including, “Think about going to a restaurant, or a cat bar — think about going to a cat bar where all the cats are already picked out for you.”
Cooper managed to cease laughing lengthy sufficient to reply, “See, that’s what I want in a cat bar — I’m tired of going to these cat bars where the cats haven’t been picked out for me, and I have to try to find the cats, and there’s so many cats to choose from.”
His charming snort has possible been a part of the explanation the community loves having Cooper host its New Year’s Eve protection 12 months after 12 months. He’s poked enjoyable at himself for it a number of instances on his present over the years.
He’s been lovingly mocked for it by ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel and even his personal cable information colleague Wolf Blitzer.
Viewers couldn’t get sufficient of laughing Anderson, chiming in on social media to share the enjoyment it was giving them (and praising Mayer’s stonefaced supply).
That wasn’t even the one time within the night time Cooper did not preserve his newsman bearing, together with when he and Cohen chatted with Neil Patrick Harris.