Andy Cohen knows where to watch reality shows and where not to watch

Bravo, in many ways, is the house that Andy Cohen built. Although nearly ten years have passed since he was a development worker in the executive ranks of the cable network, his hand (and often his face) can be seen all over his schedule. fingers real housewives Franchise – up to 10 shows, each title counting you as Executive Producer – and Night Gapfest See what happens to Andy Cohen liveYours is an incomparable piece of Bravo cake.

Talk show, a SiriusXM channel with Radio Andy, and a printed book, the 53-year-old has easily managed his entire career by navigating his own celebrities. But Cohen, who is also raising a 3-year-old son, may be busier managing his lucrative reality subgenre and the often difficult women who live in it. “I have this little card open at home on my desk and it has everything real housewives “Cities in it,” said Cohen, who wrote the first part (orange country) Issued in 2006. “I see that we have up to 10 planes in the air. You just need to make sure these planes stay at 40,000 feet.

Speaking on the phone from his Manhattan home in mid-April, Cohen, THR’In the midst of a scandal (including a lawsuit brought by housewife Nene Lix after an interview). He also described what took him from the workplace to funk and ran WWHL Basic: “Fifth Applause”.

Is today a normal day for you? And how does it look?

Yes, this can be called organized chaos. was standing [my son] Ben at 7 am and I had two hours with him before I had to work. So I went to the radio for the rest of the morning. I will see three potential presentations The Real Housewives of AtlantaS new show unlocked and a new stretch The real housewives of Dubai. I’m going to exercise, watch some castings. And obviously See what’s happening live There are five days a week, so there are all these creative emails that I have to respond to before the show starts.

you are in 10 real housewives Show it now. Does excessive saturation bother you?

In the past, we were more concerned about this. When we decided to put it in week 2, we all had words like, “OMG, is this superfluous?” Any potential tipping point would already occur. I still wake up every morning with people asking about the next trailer, no matter what. Housewives The show is next on deck.

And given the pandemic and economic downturn, is there no concern about wealth fatigue?

These shows were always voyeuristic in the second half. This is part of the backbone of the franchise. And I think watching it is fun. can see it real housewives Beverly Hills – which, interestingly, has become a crown jewel in recent years. People love to see how these rich women live.

Many of these women seem to consider him a true friend. Do you feel the same, and is it weird because you’re your boss too?

This is an unusual dynamic. I have the deepest relationship with those I’ve lived with the longest. orange country It started 16 years ago. It’s amazing to me how long I’ve known Luan de Lesseps, Teresa Judis and Candy Burroughs. These are the people I consider colleagues. I respect them a lot, but yeah, it’s a weird relationship. However, I think it got a little easier. I was literally in charge of programming at Bravo.

A longer stay suit should help.

I try to be an intermediary between them and the network in case of contractual disputes or something. I try to use my knowledge of what they are experiencing and how the network feels to try to alleviate and improve the situation. But I am here See what’s happening live Every night, sometimes incredibly dark. This is something they also have to fight for.

There was a lot of production drama. real housewives Front, including the explosion New York Franchise to reinstate and switch to a long-running spin-off. How do you see yourself?

We are now working on a new version. There’s not much I can say except that the feedback was great.

Where do you leave the women you’re considering Heritage Leave?

They stand alongside all types to find out marching orders. I think we want to shoot something new. Ronnie Before we do anything else.

And more salt lake city According to the version, Jenny Nguyen was fired for a series of social media posts that mocked the Black Lives Matter movement. How does this information get through the reality show?

Listen, I think the line is always moving. It’s a difficult time in the world to create a great unwritten show where people are often judged for their polarized views or surprising points of view. In terms of casting, trying to get someone to post the most realistic picture on television has become more important than ever. All of this is a work in progress. You hear your audience about what they will and will not receive, or celebrate, at their housewives.

I think the public will inform you on social media.

It’s about social media. How far have we come? I remember Vicky Gunavalson didn’t realize she couldn’t protect her internet at first. orange country. He would send me blog posts and say, “How can you allow this?” I replied, “I have nothing to do with it! This is the Internet!” Twitter allowed viewers to get excited and have a voice like never before.

What program would you be surprised that didn’t work?

The first program I prepared for Bravo was to restart it. Battle of the Stars of the Net, but the idea was for everyone to be reality stars. these were people american idol, Survivormaybe a couple Gate Project. omaro [Manigault] He was a secondary reporter. Richard Hatch competed, like some women in the plastic surgery program, SwanIn Fox. And it was just a big bomb. The Bravo audience didn’t want that on any level. If I were on E! Or VH1, that would be a big hit.

Or, today, maybe angry.

well we see it Journey of Best Girls from Real Housewives. The people love it. I was worried it would be a shark jump as we would break the fourth wall in all directions. We always try not to admit that these women are on the show. We wanted them to be housewives. But after 16 years, you can’t do that anymore. The reality is that they are on every show and they know each other.

your business See what’s happening live It happens next year. How long do you think you want to do the show?

I will do this until they let me. I love it. In fifth grade, I hit a wall when I was checking boxes for a minute. But now I feel a lot of energy and enthusiasm for it. Now it’s a good feeling when we go back to the live studio audience and we’re doing a live poll. The next night, we turned on the Shotsky siren. It took us 13 years to understand that we need a siren when we attack.

When you hit that wall in your fifth year, how did you set your course?

Bravo is investigating each program. And there was a poll or a report where about 3 or 5 percent of people said, “Andy seems to be exaggerating something.” When I saw it in print, my heart sank. So embarrassing. This is my absolute dream job. How dare I? that is all. It’s funny because I’ve had long conversations with other talk show hosts who’ve been doing this for over a decade, and they’ve all revealed certain points in their careers where they’ve felt it.

Who is in your inner circle of talk show hosts?

My team I ask for advice is Jimmy Fallon, Kelly Ripa and Anderson Cooper. These are the people I sympathize with on a variety of issues.

Speaking of Anderson, they work a lot together, tour together and do CNN’s New Year’s coverage, but they have a very different day at work. How much do you notice the good mood he has when he could, say, cover Ukraine?

I know the lines I cannot cross and he generously allows me to cross them. But when there’s a war in Ukraine, or we’re at the height of COVID, I’m not going to joke with him about the nonsense on my social media. I have a pretty good idea of ​​what I’m dealing with, but on New Year’s Eve my directive was always fun. And Anderson wants us to have fun too. But the next day, I often get into a little spiral and constantly call him and ask, “Was everything okay?”

This is a common response for many people on the second day of a party.

When a party is broadcast everywhere, it’s a little scary!

Speaking of potential line crossings, I got his countless rating against Bill de Blasio this year. What do you think of New York’s new mayor, Eric Adams?

I want to try because the city has seen better days. Furthermore, he has only been in office for four months. De Blasio… Just watching him dance there in Time Square was a little unnerving. I said, “It’s not time for you to dance, Mr. Mary!”

Before I let you go, let’s play a quick “Plead the Fifth”. name the past look what happens A guest who will never agree to join the show.

Debra Winger didn’t seem like my biggest fan after the show. come back and see this “Order the fifth.”

If you could bring back an ex-housewife tomorrow, who would it be?

It won’t happen because he lives a totally different life in Australia as a therapist, but it would be Alex McCord. Ronnie: inheritance.

Which housewife who has your cell phone number do you check the most?

I’ll check the housekeeper’s call only if I’m doing something else. Eventually, if they call me, they should talk to me and I should talk to them.

Straight line that no one abuses?

I wouldn’t say that!

The interview is edited for length and clarity.

The story first appeared in the April 27 issue of The Hollywood Reporter. Click here to subscribe.