Underwear Profile #16: Andy Cohen

Andy Cohen (born June 2, 1968) is an American television executive, host and author.  As of 2012, he is the executive vice president of development and talent at the Bravo cable television network, a subsidiary of NBCUniversal.  He is also the host of the network's nightly live talk show Watch What Happens Live and the author of a memoir, Most Talkative: Stories from the Front Lines of Pop Culture.  He is the first openly gay host of an American late-night talk show and is one of the most prolific and recognized journalists currently working in the field today.

Cohen was born in St. Louis, Missouri, where he graduated from Clayton High School in 1986.   He is a graduate of Boston University, where he received a B.A. degree in broadcast journalism, and he interned at CBS News alongside Julie Chen.  He spent 10 years at CBS News, eventually serving as senior producer of The Early Show.  Cohen also served as a producer for the network's 48 Hours and for CBS This Morning.

In July 2000, he became vice president of original programming for the cable network Trio.  Cohen started at Bravo in 2005 and is also a blogger on pop culture, television, media, and his own daily life.

Cohen has co-hosted Live with Regis & Kelly and hosted the Miss USA 2011 and 2012 pageants.   He has also been a guest on Late Show with David Letterman, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.  Cohen has appeared on the covers of several magazines including Parade, Entertainment Weekly, Hamptons, and The Advocate and has been profiled by The New York Times, Glamour Magazine, Vanity Fair, People, and Fortune.

On October 4, 2012, Cohen was the guest co-host on Anderson Live with Anderson Cooper.  Cohen and Cooper discussed Cooper's coming out as a gay man.  (And showed some really time-indicative photos from the 80s and 90s of Andy with "big hair.")

Cohen is no stranger to having his picture taken, given his experience both in front of and behind the camera.  Although this is a forum dedicated to underwear and the men who wear them (or don’t wear them, as the case may be), there don’t seem to be any pictures of Andy in his undershorts – but there are plenty in a swimsuit.  So enjoy!  With his easygoing smile and authentic personality, Andy Cohen is one of the men that deserves an Underwear Profile simply because he’s out and proud.

(And, he deserves extra kudos for declining a third round of hosting the Miss Universe pageant – he says he wouldn’t feel safe in Russia, since this is where it’s scheduled to be held.  There’s no shame in not feeling safe, and putting a political message in there on the side.  Too bad Donald Trump and the International Olympic Committee can’t seem to get this through their thick skulls: countries that don’t value human rights shouldn’t be able to profit politically or financially through international events.  Period.)