Andy and Anderson lose it as John Mayer celebrates New Year with cats

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John Mayer’s purr-fect start to the New Year had Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen in fits of laughter as the singer rang into their CNN special Sunday night from a cat cafe in Japan.

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“This interview with John Mayer at a cat cafe in Tokyo was the funniest I’ve ever seen on a Time’s Square broadcast,” one person wrote sharing a clip of the rocker’s viral appearance to X.

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“We’re already halfway through the first day of 2024,” Mayer said as cats pranced in the background of the bar. “This is a place you can come, enjoy a drink or two, and talk to cats. It’s a cat bar. I don’t know how much more clear I can be about the objective of this place.”

“You’re in the bar and there are cats everywhere. They are licking each other … This doesn’t look sanitary, John!” Cohen said as Cooper giggled uncontrollably. As a pair of ginger felines and a grey and white tabby milled about, Mayer nonchalantly replied, “I believe it passes all health codes, so I think it’s just fine.”

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As Cooper broke down and moved away from the camera, Mayer continued: “I can’t see Anderson.”

“He’s gone, he’s off with the fairies here,” Cohen replied. “Just the shot of the cat’s ass in your face is making him delirious.”

With Mayer starting to feed the cats — he admitted he was surprised they were getting a “gelatinous paste” and not “solid treats” — Cohen crudely tried to guess one of their the names.

But as he continued to stoically feed them treats on the bar, Mayer’s appearance from Cats in the Box became a trending topic on social media, with dozens of viewers calling it a highlight of their night on Reddit and X.

“That segment was hilarious. Mayer somehow kept a straight face the whole time,” one person wrote. “One of the cats sticks its butt, presumably on purpose, right in the camera. CNN was broadcasting cat hole to the world for like 30 seconds.”

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“John Mayer owned NYE,” another person declared.

“The fact that John managed to keep a straight face only made it even funnier,” a third added.

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With it already past lunchtime in Japan, Cohen asked Mayer what they could expect in New York after the clock struck midnight.

“Well, if it’s anything like my 2024, you’ll be surrounded by cats,” he replied, drawing more laughter from his deadpan response.

The moment was a fitting cap to a night in which Cohen and Cooper were allowed to drink again after being forced to stay sober during 2022’s live broadcast.

“Why do people do this?” Cooper asked after taking a shot of tequila early in the night.

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His lips loosened by the alcohol, Cooper later spoke about his holiday vacation in France and took a swipe at the French for not knowing what iced coffee is.

“The thing that drives me nuts about France is they don’t know what iced coffee is,” Cooper said. “Literally, I would go into every cafe and ask for iced coffee and they would look at me like I was the first person in the world that has ever even mentioned there is such a thing as black coffee with ice.”

mdaniell@postmedia.com

X: @markhdaniell

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