Comedian Roy Wood Jr. seemingly referenced a former CNN host’s tumultuous departure from the network while turning down a shot of tequila during their New Year’s Eve broadcast on Tuesday, Dec. 31.
Wood Jr. was joined by his costars from CNN’s Have I Got News for You comedy panel show on New Year’s Eve Live, hosted by Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper.
As has become tradition, Cooper and Cohen consumed a series of shots of alcohol throughout the evening. Cohen pulled out a bottle of tequila, offering it to Wood Jr., Amber Ruffin and Michael Ian Black as they appeared in a segment, Tuesday.
“Oh, no!” Wood Jr., 46, said when Cohen, 56, offered the shot. “No, I don’t. The last Black man that drank on this network got fired. I’m going to keep it with water for right now. I need some stability.”
Cohen and Cooper, 57, didn’t respond to Wood Jr.’s comment, with the former instead asking Black if he was livestreaming on his Instagram.
Wood Jr. later reshared footage of the moment on X, writing, “Not gone catch me slippin in the Deuce-Five.”
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Wood Jr. was seemingly referencing the 2023 firing of longtime CNN host Don Lemon, who often appeared as a correspondent on the New Year’s Eve Live show. Lemon was fired after 17 years with the network following several controversial comments and tense interviews. Ultimately, Lemon and CNN reportedly reached a $24.5 million separation deal in 2024.
In an interview with PEOPLE reflecting on his ousting in March of last year, Lemon said, “Do I wish that my exit from CNN had been different? Absolutely, but it is what it is, and I can’t go back and change the past. I don’t have a time machine.”
Cohen and Cooper’s drinking has been a popular feature of the CNN New Year’s coverage for years, though they didn’t start the trend of liquid celebrations. Back in 2016, Lemon got his ear pierced at a New Orleans bar while appearing live on the air during the New Year’s Eve special.
After Cohen made some controversial comments in 2021, though, the show was hit with a booze ban.
The network backtracked on barring drinking in 2023, with Cohen and Cooper returning to the shot-taking “responsibly.”
Wood Jr. did not confirm who he was referencing on Tuesday, and CNN has not publicly responded to the remark.
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