Imagine going out for a drink with two of the most interesting dudes in news and entertainment. That’s the vibe legendary CNN news anchor Anderson Cooper wants for his upcoming AC2 show at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace, featuring him and buddy Andy Cohen.
You might know Cohen from his Bravo talk show, Watch What Happens Live, or from his executive producer roles on Top Chef and The Real Housewives franchise. Cohen will dish on behind-the-scenes reality show drama, and both men will tell anecdotes from their 25 years of friendship. “It’s all true, all funny stories,” Cooper says during a phone interview with the Weekly. “It’s a night for friends to get together and enjoy themselves.”
Expect a highly entertaining conversation between friends you wish you had, but don’t expect stand-up comedy. Nor should you hold your breath for hot takes on the latest headlines. According to Cooper, the show doesn’t change based on current events. But it could transform based on the performers’ whims. The duo has performed this show more than 40 times together, and Cooper says it’s always a bit different. “We mix it up, depending on where we are and what’s going on in our lives.”
Whether you love or hate CNN, you’re used to seeing Cooper as a serious presence, reporting on history in the making. Onstage, Cooper will have—and be—much more fun. “The last thing people want to see is serious discussion on politics,” Cooper says.
For a person who spends his career speaking to a camera lens, Cooper enjoys interacting with an audience. “It’s an incredible feeling, unlike anything else I’ve done,” Cooper says.
The chemistry of AC2 comes from the two performers’ differences. “Andy says I’m reality and he’s escape from reality,” Cooper says. “We couldn’t be more different in so many ways. I’m more introverted, he’s the life of the party. I rarely go to parties, he’s Mr. Pop Culture.” Cooper says that being onstage with Cohen brings out “the best version of me. People are surprised about how funny I am onstage.”
While Cooper says that the stories told during his shows are protected by a “cone of silence, just for people in the auditorium,” he did let slip a hilarious anecdote from this summer. He was in Helsinki, Finland, covering the summit between Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. It was an intense 12 hours of constant work for Cooper, but that didn’t stop Cohen from having a little fun: “I kept getting texts from him asking, ‘How hot are the guys in Helsinki?’ I wouldn’t respond. Three hours later, ‘How hot are the guys in Helsinki?’”
So how hot were they? “[Depends] if you like blonde, Nordic men and women. They were Casper the Friendly Ghost blonde. It was an amazing level of blondeness. We think we know what blonde is here. That is blonde.”
ANDERSON COOPER & ANDY COHEN October 26, 8 p.m., $65-$101. The Colosseum, 877-427-7243.
