Roy Wood Jr. declined host Andy Cohen’s tequila shot on CNN’s New Year’s special Tuesday — and had a hilarious (if a little eyebrow-raising) reason behind it: “The last Black man to drink on this network go fired,” he quipped, nodding to former anchor Don Lemon.
“I’m going to keep it with water for right now. I need some stability,” he added as Cohen cross-talked to fellow guests Michael Ian Black and Amber Ruffin (who appeared particularly tickled by Wood’s assessment) and poured them a shot of tequila.
Sharing the viral moment on X later Tuesday night, the former “Daily Show” correspondent wrote, “Not gone catch me slippin in the Deuce-Five.”
Lemon previously hosted CNN’s New Year’s coverage and, like Cohen and and co-host Anderson Cooper, was known for letting loose in the year-end celebration and drinking a bit on air — which Wood seemed to allude to Tuesday. Lemon memorably parted ways with the news network after 17 years in 2023.
“I was informed this morning by my agent that I have been terminated by CNN,” Lemon posted to his social media Monday. “After 17 years at CNN I would have thought that someone in management would have had the decency to tell me directly. At no time was I ever given any indication that I would not be able to continue to do the work I have loved at the network.”
Lemon’s exit from CNN came amid diminishing ratings, a struggle to find his footing in the “CNN This Morning” time slot and getting himself in hot water for comments that were considered misogynist.
Watch the moment — and Wood’s response on X — below.
Not gone catch me slippin in the Deuce-Five. https://t.co/hAGrx3hEJO
— Roy Wood Jr- Ex Jedi (@roywoodjr) January 1, 2025
