Andy Cohen says he regrets the way he asked Oprah Winfrey about her sexual experiences when she appeared on his show in 2013. She has not returned to Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen since then.
Cohen made the comments during an ‘Ask Andy’ panel at BravoCon 2022 last weekend. He said he hadn’t really planned to ask Winfrey the question, suggesting it was a spur-of-the-moment thing that didn’t work.
“I asked it so poorly,” he explained to moderators Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb, reports People. “I decided, ‘Why don’t I throw this out? Maybe I’ll throw a bomb out.’ And I asked Oprah, ‘Have you ever swum in the lady pond?’ And she was like, ‘No.’”
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Cohen went on to say he didn’t hear anything afterward from Winfrey about the question. However, her friend, CBS journalist Gayle King, contacted him the next day.
“She didn’t say anything, but I heard from Gayle the next day. And Gayle goes: ‘Oprah didn’t know what the lady pond was.’ And I was like, ‘Well then I need to re-ask the question!’ But [Oprah] hasn’t come back.”
Cohen said he always wants his guests to leave feeling happy, hinting he wasn’t sure if that was the case with Winfrey when she finished on the show.
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It was not the first time Cohen has mentioned the incident. In 2018, Cohen told Access he regretted the question as soon as he said it.
“I asked her — not even during ‘Plead the Fifth’ — I asked her if she had swum in the lady pond, so to speak. The second after I said it, I kind of regretted it.”
Below are some clips from Winfrey’s appearance on the show, although it doesn’t include that question.
smittoons
I regret that he weaseled his position as a producer into becoming on-camera talent in the first place.
John
I agree. I wish he would just stay behind the scenes.
cuteguy
Kathy Griffin was right about this loser
Ronbo
Sing it sister smittons. Cohen’s presence is a 98% chance that I take a pass on Bravo. He takes such cringy positions so consistently that it’s as if he is intentionally that way. For example… supporting of the people repeatedly calling other people “Bitch” – actually encouraging people to do more of it – even AFTER the victim asked them to stop using derogatory names! Before that, Andy got roiled and upset at the use of the n-word in a song; but – only when white people repeated the exact same lyrics as the black person! Selective censorship – aren’t we ALL supposed to be equal and NOT use derogatory, demeaning terms? Sorry Andy, equality includes the use of the language. If it’s bad for one, it’s bad for all.
I wonder what happens next after his guests call him a bitch or f** after he asks them to stop calling him derogatory names. Hypocrites like Cohen help the right to frame our community and the entire left as selectively pushing extremist cancel culture nonsense.
If you use derogatory language, you can’t demand that others NOT use the same language. Instead of cancelling people, why not create an environment where respect and dignity are prized. Andy is a perfect example of hypocrisy in action.
Terrycloth
I never saw anything in Andy that was attractive. I find him to be a super chatty queen who on every show he’s on thinks it’s his.. Anderson Cooper has had enough of Andy hogging the camera and air time during those new years eve live shows. I don’t get why he is famous .his 15 minutes shoukd have expired by now
frenchy
Why regret it? Oprah literally asked Michael Jackson if he was a virgin. Now THAT’s cringeworthy. I have no respect for him — nor for her, for that matter.
abfab
I loved the way MAD TV spoofed the Oprah Winfrey Show. Hysterical!
Jere
I’m a little surprised that Winfrey couldn’t figure out what “swimming in the lady pond” meant. Seems fairly obvious.
abfab
Especially in the days of ”manscaping” and ”lady gardening”.
TomOH
Let’s not forget Orca Winfrey shilled “Dr. Oz”
abfab
Dr. Shnoz. Dr. Phil and Gail King—super annoying. Thanks a lot O!
Fahd
Stopped watching Bravo years ago, and life is better. What Cohen has done to Kathy Griffin is just part of the objectionable list.
Oprah has promoted a list of people who have turned out to be homophobes/maga Republicans not to mention the preposterous Meghan (and Harry) interview. Oprah’s superrich, but not admirable.
dbmcvey
This is just one of the many things he should regret. He has platformed so many terrible people (that’s something he has in common with Oprah).
cuteguy
The queen herself, Oprah the great, has repeatedly said that if she was gay she would just come right out and say it. She has revealed everything else about herself. Andy is a sicko who became a producer that bought his own talk show. He does nothing to help the lgbtq community. He’s as annoying for the lgbtq community as the troll Cam is on this site.
abfab
True dat. And how Anderson Cooper puts up with him on NYE in TSquare I don’t know. Lame. I hope his children never see how sloshed and foolish he becomes.
Kangol2
Who, Queerty, is “Orpah Winfrey”?
Even a little copy-editing goes a long way!
abfab
Orpah is what Studman calls her………..
bachy
I absolutely cannot stand Cohen and his flailing, camera-humping harem of “Real Housewives.” Sorry, the entire genre is a major turnoff for me.
But I maintain a lot of respect for Winfrey. Sure, she’s made mistakes platforming a few giant assholes (who hasn’t?). But her contribution to American, middle-class culture has been phenomenal.
The Nirvana Fallacy is a cheap approach (used a lot these days) to tear people down. By creating a false dichotomy, a person using the Nirvana Fallacy can attack any person or idea because they are not “perfect”. The more mature view is that a real world person is the sum total of their achievements and flaws. Efforts to discredit someone by comparing them to a hypothetically “perfect” alternative is deceitful and dishonest.