CNN To Ring In 2026 With Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen Live From Times Square

CNN will once again welcome the New Year with an unforgettable global celebration as Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen return for their ninth consecutive year as co-hosts of CNN’s New Year’s Eve Live with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen. Broadcasting live from the heart of New York City’s iconic Times Square, the Emmy Award–winning duo will guide viewers into 2026 with an evening filled with music, laughter, and live coverage of celebrations from around the world.

CNN will deliver comprehensive, multi-platform coverage of New Year’s Eve across television, digital and social platforms, offering audiences a front row seat to the world’s biggest moments as they unfold globally. For the first time, CNN’s New Year’s Eve programming will stream exclusively on CNN’s new streaming subscription platform, available to subscribers at CNN.com/AllAccess, and on CNN’s mobile app and connected TV apps on Smart TVs. Pay TV subscribers can access the stream by logging in with their Pay TV credentials.

Leading up to New Year’s Eve on Wednesday, December 17th, viewers can enjoy an exclusive behind-the-scenes conversation with Anderson and Andy as they reflect on their favorite moments from the past eight years and preview what’s in store this year. The special sneak peak will be available on StreamOnCNN’s YouTube channel and streaming on CNN.com/AllAccess.

Coverage kicks off at 7:00 AM ET with nearly two dozen CNN anchors and correspondents with live reports and performances from several cities around the world as they ring in the new year. Throughout the day John Berman and Becky Anderson will report live from Abu Dhabi and Kristie Lu Stout and Will Ripley will bring live coverage from Bangkok. Laura Coates and Isa Soares will pick up at 2:45 PM ET from London with Boris Sanchez joining live from the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. Throughout the day, CNN will broadcast performances from Hugh Jackman & Kate Hudson, Chris Isaak, OK Go, Flo Rida, Aly & AJ, Burna Boy and Cheat Codes with Cee Lo Green.

At 8:00 PM ET, CNN’s New Year’s Eve Live with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen will feature music, comedy and some surprise guests, including Stephen Colbert, Robyn performing live from Times Square, Shakira performing from Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, FL, Brandy and Monica from The BPC (Black Promoters Collective) The Boy Is Mine Tour, Bryan Adams from Madison Square Garden, Florence + The Machine, RAYE, mentalist Oz Perlman, Amy Sedaris, Singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile, Aloe Blacc, Patti LaBelle, Grammy and Tony Nominated Singer, Songwriter Michelle Williams, Rebecca Romijn and Jerry O’Connell, comedians B.J. Novak, Leanne Morgan, Sarah Sherman and more.

Throughout the night, CNN reporters provide live coverage of celebrations across the country, including Richard Quest from the crowds in Times Square, Randi Kaye from New Orleans, Stephanie Elam from Atlantis, Paradise Island in the Bahamas, Isabel Rosales from Greater Lauderdale, FL, and Harry Enten from Prescott, AZ.

At 12:30 AM ET, CNN’s Sara Sidner, and Cari Champion will take over the celebration, counting down to the new year as the Central Time Zone rings in 2026 from Auditorium Shores in Austin, Texas, with performances by country singer Vince Gill and The Head and The Heart and interviews with Flavor Flav and Ariana Madix.

CNN’s global reach will be on display as anchors and correspondents covering New Year’s Eve festivities in more than a dozen cities worldwide, including Angus Watson in Sydney, Hanako Montgomery in Tokyo, Mike Valerio in Harbin, Bijan Hosseini in Hong Kong, Melissa Bell in Paris, Victoria Rubadiri in Luanda, Atika Shubert in Madrid, Max Foster in Edinburgh, Julia Vargas Jones in Rio de Janeiro, Lynda Kinkade in Nashville, Omar Jimenez from Clarksdale, MS, Elex Michaelson and Coy Wire from Pasadena and Victor Blackwell in New York City’s Times Square.

CNN New Years Eve Live with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen is sponsored by Ancestry, Liberty Mutual, The Pitt on HBO Max, T-Mobile for Business, Visit Lauderdale and Wayfair.

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About CNN Worldwide
CNN is the most honored brand in cable news, reaching more individuals through television, streaming and online than any other cable news organization in the United States. Globally, people around the world can watch CNN International, which is widely distributed in over 200 countries and territories. CNN is also the #1 online news destination, reaching more than 140 million people around the world every month. CNN’s award-winning portfolio includes non-scripted programming from CNN Original Series and CNN Films for broadcast, streaming and distribution across multiple platforms. Audiences can experience the CNN offering through its All Access subscription, a centralized place with live channels, on-demand video, new releases and library content from CNN Originals, along with articles. The direct-to-consumer subscription offering is available across web, mobile and connected TV apps. CNN programming can be found on CNN, CNN International and CNN en Español channels via Pay TV. You can also stream a library of CNN Originals content on HBO Max, discovery+ and via pay TV subscription on CNN.com, CNN apps and cable operator platforms. Additionally, CNN Newsource is the world’s most extensively utilized news service partnering with over 1,000 local and international news organizations around the world. CNN is a division of Warner Bros. Discovery.

About Warner Bros. Discovery
Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ: WBD) is a leading global media and entertainment company that creates and distributes the world’s most differentiated and complete portfolio of content and brands across television, film and streaming. Available in more than 220 countries and territories and 50 languages, Warner Bros. Discovery inspires, informs and entertains audiences worldwide through its iconic brands and products including: Discovery Channel, discovery+, CNN, DC, Eurosport, HBO, HGTV, Food Network, OWN, Investigation Discovery, TLC, Magnolia Network, TNT, TBS, truTV, Travel Channel, HBO Max, MotorTrend, Animal Planet, Science Channel, Warner Bros. Film Group, Warner Bros. Television Group, Warner Bros. Games, New Line Cinema, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Turner Classic Movies, Discovery en Español, Hogar de HGTV and others. For more information, please visit www.wbd.com.