Walk of Fame star for talk show host Andy Cohen unveiled

A star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was unveiled Friday honoring television executive turned talk show host Andy Cohen.

Actresses Garcelle Beauvais and Lisa Rinna and singer-songwriter John Mayer were among those joining Cohen at the ceremony at 6652 Hollywood Blvd., near Cherokee Avenue.

“This is really surreal,” Cohen told the crowd. “This is really a trip. It’s kind of like being at your own funeral, but fun.

“… When I was little I did nothing but eat, sleep and dream of TV — `I Love Lucy,’ `The Brady Bunch,’ `Mary Tyler Moore,’ `Carol Burnett,’ `Donny & Marie,’ `The Love Boat,’ `Dynasty,’ `All My Children.’ I loved TV. … I’m not sure I was adventurous enough to picture myself actually having a career in television, and I was not yet vain enough to actually think that I could be on TV. Well, I grew up and I became adventurous, and quite vain.”

The star is the 2,711th since the completion of the Walk of Fame in 1961 with the first 1,558 stars.

Cohen has hosted the Bravo late-night, interactive talk show “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen” since 2009. He joined the network in 2004 as vice president, original programming and was its executive vice president of development and talent from November 2011 to January 2014 and was responsible for “The Real Housewives” franchise and such series as “Top Chef” and “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.”

Cohen ran original programming and development for the defunct pop culture and arts cable network Trio from 2000 until joining Bravo. He was a producer at CBS News from 1990-2000 working on “CBS This Morning” and “48 Hours.”

Cohen has two channels on  SiriusXM. “Radio Andy,” begun in 2015, is focused on pop culture, celebrities, lifestyle and relationships. “Andy Cohen’s Kiki Lounge,” is a music-focused channel that went on the air in 2021.

Cohen has joined Anderson Cooper in hosting CNN’s “New Year’s Eve Live” for five years.