CNN Faces Backlash After Airing Gay Kiss On New Year’s Eve

CNN has copped backlash from right-wing conservatives in New York City after broadcasting an interracial gay kiss as the clock struck midnight on New Year’s Eve.

Conservatives took this moment to display their homophobia and spread disparaging messages on social media in response to a brief display of a gay couple’s celebration. 

The opening moment of its New Year’s Eve Live broadcast in 2024 saw bigots take to social media to express their “disgust”, with one X user posting, “The first kiss shown by nearly every media outlet, CNN, ABC, CBS, was this:  A salacious, sickening, interracial gay tongue lashing session. Out of literal millions present, they chose this to send a message to you. They are ramping up the psyop. Nothing is by accident.”

SCREAMED pic.twitter.com/E3C2XxtAvK

— Ryan Aguirre (@aguirreryan) January 1, 2024

Another user complained, “I started off my 2024 with watching two silly boys kiss. 

Jonathan Bowen, known the online handle BostonByBirth, posted some extreme reactions to CNN and ABC airing the gay kiss. Bowen claimed that the kiss between the men didn’t look natural and was a planned psychological operation that was meant to “intrude on Middle America”. 

“ABC News had to cut straight to the interracial gay couple with the sloppy kiss at midnight. Is it a happy new year? Gah! It seems as though other networks showed the same kiss at midnight. The kiss wasn’t organic; the interracial gay couple was separated by crowd control barriers. This was a psychological operation which was designed to intrude on Middle America”, he wrote. 

Unwavering Celebration 

Anderson Cooper’s reaction to taking a shot is peak 2023 @Andy @andersoncooper #CNNNYE pic.twitter.com/goRwWs8gqM

— Meredith Walsh (@meredithdwalsh) January 1, 2024

Amidst the anticipated outcry, several users applauded the networks for broadcasting the kiss while also poking fun at the backlash.

“CNN Never would have thought the first shot of the new year would be a beautiful queer kiss. THANK you for being bold! 👏👏👏 Happy New Year! 🥳 #CNNNYE” X user Sean David posted. 

X user Josh K also celebrated the interracial gay kiss, sharing “The first kiss CNN  shows of 2024 was 2 guys! 😍 it’s our year queens!”. The X user commended New Year’s Eve Live co-hosts Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen, who returned for their seventh year together. 

“I love that Anderson Cooper is just wrecked and I love it! He and Andy are a treasure”, Josh K added. 

In a press release, Cooper expressed his delight in celebrating New Year’s Eve with the American radio and television talk show host, saying, “There’s no one I’d rather spend New Year’s Eve with and nowhere I’d rather be at midnight than New York’s Times Square!”

Cohen echoed the sentiment, stating, “Spending New Year with my dear friend Anderson is my idea of a great time and a happy tradition that I look forward to all year long.”