"It's like a telethon without the disease." This year, good friends Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper co-hosted CNN's New Year's Eve telecast from Times Square, and an important element that was missing the year before is back: booze.

"Tonight feels like the end of a year-long drinking binge," CNN's Cooper said at the beginning of the show. 'Of course, my buddy Andy Cohen is with me.'

"Hey, Anderson!" Bravo's Cohen replied, before wishing his BFF a Happy New Year.

"This is my seventh year," he said.

"It's going to be a lot of fun," Cohen said. 'It's four and a half hours. You used to say this was like a telethon without the disease.

The BFFs were joined by many celebrity guests, including Henry Winkler, John Mayer, Bowen Yang, Neil Patrick Harris, and Jeremy Renner, but the star of the show was of course the tequila." Can I get some juice, Daddy?" Cohen asked Anderson at one point, and Anderson was clearly offended by his friend and co-host." One fan wrote on X (formerly Twitter), "Andy Cohen making Anderson Cooper visibly uncomfortable is never pleasant. Anderson replies, "I'm not. Of course, we all know the answer to that question.

Viewers were quick to point out that the best part of the show is watching Cooper shoot down shot after shot, each look more ridiculous than the last." Why do people do this?" Cooper said at one point, after another bout with the finest liquor. Another wrote: "I will never get tired of watching Anderson Cooper drink shots." Another noted, "The world is healing a little bit by watching Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen drink shots on #cnnNYE and listening to Anderson giggle."

Another hilarious moment was singer John Mayer's appearance from the Tokyo Cat Bar. Yes, that's right. When Mayer turned the camera on his bemused CNN co-hosts to explain to them that he was enjoying his adventure into the year 2024 in a bar surrounded by cats, Cooper lost his cool and laughed the whole time. At one point, the journalist had to step out of frame to compose himself.

Of course, there were moments throughout the festive evening and more than a few cocktails, including Cooper laughing off an interview with Neil Patrick Harris, an exchange with Bowen Yang on "Saturday Night Live," and Cooper reacting to Nicki Minaj's New Year's resolutions. There were many other memorable exchanges as a result. And as the clock struck midnight and CNN's cameras turned to the crowd, a gay couple was shown locking lips! Equality for all

Here's to a healthy, happy, and safe 2024! (with or without tequila)