Inside Andy Cohen’s Headline-Making Empire at SiriusXM: ‘Sometimes I Mess Up’ (Exclusive)

At the risk of sounding like a Real Housewives tagline, when Andy Cohen talks, people listen. That’s true when he hosts Watch What Happens Live and the Bravo reunions, and it’s especially true for his SiriusXM show, where he has time to dig into everything from Wicked to Bravolebrity brouhahas.

“There are things I say that the viewers disagree with,” Cohen, 56, tells Us from his Andy Cohen Live studio in NYC. “There was a moment early in Vanderpump Rules where I said [on the radio], ‘Lala [Kent] is the voice of reason this season.’ People played that clip for months on end and were all over me.”

During the daily broadcast on Radio Andy (channel 102, 10 a.m.), Cohen and cohost John Hill — also his ex-boyfriend, more on that later — “generate a lot of pop culture news,” he says. “And we also reflect on it. Whatever’s going on in pop culture, it will be dissected here.” And at Andy Cohen Live, that often means the latest in the Bravo universe.

Cohen is the first to acknowledge it can be tricky to navigate giving his frank take while wearing so many hats in reality TV (he also produces the Housewives franchise). “Sometimes I mess up, but I think I have a good sense,” Cohen says, adding, “[Radio] is also a place I talk more often as a producer than I do anywhere else. It’s a great opportunity for me to give background and explain further my point of view.”

The people he discusses on-air might respond in the media — or they might even respond directly. “I remember Teresa [Giudice] called me about something I said, but I was like, ‘Teresa, did you hear the clip? Let me explain,’” Cohen recalls of the Real Housewives of New Jersey star. “And she was like, ‘Oh, my God, I get the context now.’”

On December 2, he addressed VPR again, telling listeners: “Bravo announced, or word got out, that they are revamping the show, and I have to say, this is, first of all, the absolute right thing to do.” No, he’s not a producer on that particular show, but fans looked to him — as did a slew of celebrities. Without naming names, he confirmed his phone blew up when news broke of the season 12 recasting. “[The response was] mainly sadness and, ‘Oh, my God,’” he says. “Then I have to say, ‘Look, it’s how it needs to be.’”

How does it feel to see his opinions be sought after and passed along? “If it’s a good headline, I’m happy about it. If it’s a bad headline, I’m annoyed by it just like anyone else,” Cohen says. “We have a lot of airtime. [Often] it’s just John and I talking. Anything that could be said could wind up either making a headline or [laughs] coming back to bite me.”

He Doesn’t Do It Alone

The secret sauce to Andy Cohen Live just might be cohost Hill. “I can’t think of too many exes that host something together — Sonny and Cher hosted after they got divorced — but I think it’s interesting for the listener to hear John absolutely shading me,” Cohen admits. “Or he totally knocks me down in a way that no one else would go there. Even Jeff Lewis.”

And when Hill gets into his own Housewives feuds — most recently exchanging in a back-and-forth with former RHOC star Kelly Dodd — Cohen lets him fight his own battles. “That was between John and she. I sat it out and he quickly apologized,” he said. “At Radio Andy, I’m just proud of everybody in the family for what each person has built, because they’ve all kind of come to this with their own personality and point of view. And they’ve all built their own followings and their own little universes on the channel.”

Ah, back to Jeff Lewis — another personality under the Radio Andy umbrella on SiriusXM. His remarks on Jeff Lewis Live have become storylines on several Bravo series this year, including The Real Housewives of Orange County and The Real Housewives of New York City, which Cohen acknowledges plays a part in why the shows now break the fourth wall.

“It’s wild that the tentacles of the Housewives have reached him, and he’s reached into the show,” Cohen says of the “outspoken” and “provocative” host. So outspoken that Lewis hears from his boss? Not unless Cohen wants to be part of that storyline too. “It will take a lot for me to get involved because I’ve been burned,” he says. “He’s read my messages on the air!”

There’s also Dorinda Medley, the only former Housewife on the channel. “I wouldn’t have done it if she was still on the Housewives. It would’ve created some potential issues,” Cohen says. “She’s got a very unique perspective. She’s been in the game. She’s also a fan. She’s very savvy. She’s opinionated, so she works on a bunch of levels.”

Outside of the Bravo universe, Radio Andy features talent like newswoman Gayle King, who “brings a totally legit perspective on pop culture to radio,” Cohen says; actress Sandra Bernhard; the Smith sisters (“they disseminate pop culture is unlike anything else”) and perhaps the most popular addition to the team of late, social media influencer Tinx. “When Tinx is on, the phone lines are absolutely jammed. She gives the best relationship advice — people really want to hear from her,” Cohen says. (Us witnessed the calls rolling in before Tinx’s broadcast had even started.) Time to make your own headlines, Tinx!

Hey, Mr. DJ

While music is part of Andy Cohen Live — just three minutes before going to air during Us’ visit, Cohen confirms to his producer that “Kashmir” by Led Zeppelin is the choice to bring in that particular Wednesday’s show — it’s the main event on his separate SiriusXM channel, Andy Cohen’s Kiki Lounge. “During Covid, I spent many nights searching for my most perfect 600 or so songs,” he tells Us. “They are just songs that touch me, songs I have a story about [and] songs that have affected me in my life.”

Song He Can’t Get Enough Of: Cohen adds and subtracts from the Kiki Lounge lineup “all the time.” His latest obsession: Troye Sivan’s “One of Your Girls.”

Song He Overdid: Should Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso” stay in 2024? “It’s a great song but such an annoying earworm at this point.”

Song of the Summer: “I was a brat this summer,” Cohen happily declares, referencing the title track of Charli XCX’s critical fave. “I love that album.”

Song for the Holidays: Cohen’s preferred classic tune is “Christmas Wrapping” by the Waitresses, but he’s also a sucker for Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” telling Us as a fact: “Mariah is everyone’s queen of Christmas.”

Song His Kids Make Him Listen To: Son Ben, 5, “loves ‘Life Is a Highway’ from Cars,” Cohen reveals. Asked whether he feels the same way about the Rascal Flatts cover from the 2006 animated film, he simply replies, “No.”

Song That Makes Him Cry: Coldplay’s “Warning Song” can still put him in his feels as he considers it his “breakup song” from cohost Hill.

Song That’s a Hit With the Family: Cohen beams as he reports Ben and daughter Lucy, 2, are on board with his devotion to Madonna, naming “Hung Up” as the family’s No. 1 song. But when they’re stuck in traffic (as often documented on Cohen’s Instagram Stories), his go-to is the Grateful Dead.