How Andy Cohen makes his Thanksgivings 'like Housewives reunion shows'

Andy Cohen talks about his holiday plans with his dog, Wacha. (Photo: Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images)
Andy Cohen talks about his holiday plans with his dog, Wacha. (Photo: Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images)

When it comes to Thanksgiving — and pretty much every other day of the year — Andy Cohen likes to bring the drama.

The Watch What Happens Live host tells Yahoo that he likes to “make a provocative Thanksgiving.” Essentially, “I want my Thanksgivings to be like Housewives reunion shows.”

His tips for doing that are simple: Keep the drinks flowing and, well, be him.

“You keep the wine flowing, but, you know, I know how to get a conversation started. What can I say?” Cohen says.

It’s true. His best advice for everyone who’s not him?

“Just say the name Trump and see where the conversation goes,” he says.

Cohen, 49, will spend his holiday hosting, but not cooking, for his family. “I’m not really a cook, but I’m a good eater,” he says. (But he does the dishes, which is his least favorite part of Thanksgiving.) Balderdash will be played after dinner, and he and his dog — beagle-foxhound mix Wacha — will spend some quality time watching the National Dog Show Presented by Purina, which Cohen is promoting; underscore the watching rather than participating.

Andy Cohen hangs out with Wacha. (Photo: Charles Sykes/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank)
Andy Cohen hangs out with Wacha. (Photo: Charles Sykes/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank)

“Wacha would do horribly,” Cohen says of the contest. “He’s untrained, and he’s unsuited [for it]. I mean, he has my Best in Show, but this one — it’s 175 breeds, there’s 2,000 dogs. I think that he would misbehave, but that’s fine. I like him misbehaving.”

Cohen encourages other dog owners to participate from home via the dog food brand’s #DogThanking campaign. Now through Nov. 26, when someone posts what they love about their pet on social media, tagging Purina and using the #DogThanking hashtag, the company will donate $1 to hurricane relief for people and pets.

“I absolutely Dog Thank every day,” Cohen says. “I love bragging about my dog on Instagram and social media, so this is right up my alley.”

Oh hi

A post shared by Andy Cohen (@bravoandy) on Mar 21, 2017 at 3:36pm PDT

For the actual event, Cohen says he and his pup will watch the broadcast from home, where they will “sleep, cuddle, [and] coo at each other.”

Fans who follow Cohen (or Wacha himself!) on Instagram know how much Cohen adores his pet. That being said, Cohen admits that the unofficial title of “Most Powerful Dog in Hollywood” belongs to another pooch.

“Well, I think Giggy, Lisa Vanderpump’s dog, is pretty powerful,” Cohen says. “Lisa started a movement, and she’s raised a lot of awareness for what’s going on with the Yulin situation, and Giggy is really one of the stars — if not the star — of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.”

Speaking of TV, Cohen has an answer ready for the question of favorite guest he’s had on his show: Oprah Winfrey, who stopped by the clubhouse on the Aug. 15, 2013, episode. “I just loved it, and I also felt it was a pretty good interview, so I was happy about that,” Cohen says.

Then Cohen spills the tea on the question, “Who will you never have on again?” After a pause, he throws out the name of an October 2012 guest that he’s mentioned before. (It is not Kathy Griffin, a topic that his publicist says he’s not speaking about today.)

“I don’t think Scott Baio’s gonna be running back any time soon,” Cohen says. “I don’t think he liked the experience. I would have him back … he’s now one of our great political minds.”

See? Drama, just the way he likes it.

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