A CNN segment that followed a group of marijuana smokes while they rode around Denver on a ‘cannabus’ and later joined a ‘Puff, Pass and Paint’ party surprised a number a viewers – and host Anderson Cooper.
The 50-year-old silver fox stopped by The Late Show With Stephen Colbert on Tuesday, and spoke about his night in Times Square with new co-host Andy Cohen, who replaced Kathy Griffin after she was fired by the network.
And when the topic turned to Randi Kaye’s night with a handful of stoners, Cooper said: ‘The whole thing surprised me as much as anyone else. I have to tell you.’
He said this through a fit of giggles, having previously pointed out that recreational marijuana use is in fact legal in Colorado.
Coop and Colb: Anderson Cooper sat down with Stephen Colbert for an interview on Tuesday (above), two days after he hosted CNN’s New Year’s Eve coverage
Mile high: Randi Kaye hosted CNN’s 2017 New Year’s Eve coverage from Denver, Colorado on a ‘cannabus’ (above)
Colbert got the ball rolling early in the interview, asking: ‘Do you still have a contact high from Randi Kaye? You guys got a little teasing.’
After pointing out the legality of the substance, Cooper added; ‘We are grown adults. And she did not smoke.’
His surprise, meanwhile, seemed to be with the last party Kaye attended that night.
‘She ended up at a paint party where I guess this pot bus ended up…where, for whatever reason, people riding around getting stoned all night want to end up painting in day-glo colors.’
Colbert then joked that the segment had buried the lede.
Cooper later admitted he was not surprised about marijuana now being legal in California for medicinal purposes.
‘I think California, it makes sense. It’s California,’ said Cooper.
Kaye’s segment was incredibly polarizing, and drew an immediate response from many on social media
Off guard: ‘I guess this pot bus ended up at a paint party where, for whatever reason, people riding around getting stoned all night want to end up painting,’ said Cooper
Anything goes: Cooper comically shrugged while watching the marijuana-laced shenanigans of Kaye and company
‘Can someone explain why CNN is showing people smoking weed with a bong??!! My kids are watching this for the ball drop and I had to turn it all off!’, wrote one mother on Twitter.
‘Black men are IN JAIL for SELLING WEED and CNN is interviewing white people smoking weed and painting,’ wrote another critic of the segment.
And one woman noted: ‘A #CNN reporter just lit some dude’s bong live on #CNNNYE before talking about different types of weed and her party bus’s lack of a stripper pole. I see 2018 journalism’s off to a great start.’
And to end the segment, Kaye threw back to host Andy Cohen – who makes near-nightly references to his own marijuana usage on his Bravo program Watch What Happens Live – by offering up a joint.
Kaye also asked Cohen if he wanted her to pick anything up for him, and he requests Cheeba Chews, which are a marijuana-infused taffy candy
‘Dose yourself properly, Randi. We don’t want any trouble from you,’ he then joked.
After her segment ended, Cohen turned to Cooper and asked: ‘Is Randi Kaye like, a notorious stoner that I don’t know about?’
‘No, not at all. She’s just very game to report and go to the front lines on things,’ replied a very serious Cooper.