Andy Cohen

Andrew Joseph Cohen (born June 2, 1968), professionally known as Andy Cohen, is an American media executive, television producer, author, radio host, and talk show personality best known for his role as executive vice president of original programming and development at Bravo, where he has driven the network's expansion into reality television emphasizing celebrity gossip and interpersonal conflicts. As host and executive producer of the late-night program Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen since its 2009 debut, Cohen conducts post-episode interviews with reality stars and guests, often featuring viewer call-ins and alcohol service that contribute to its informal, confessional format. He also executive produces the Real Housewives franchise, which has generated over a dozen series adaptations by prioritizing dramatic personal revelations and cast disputes as core entertainment value. Cohen's achievements include a Primetime Emmy Award for outstanding reality competition program on Top Chef season six, multiple additional Emmy nominations, and authorship of five New York Times bestsellers chronicling his professional and paternal experiences. His tenure at Bravo, starting from programming roles after early stints at CBS News, has been credited with boosting the network's ratings through unscripted content but criticized for amplifying sensationalism and enabling cast behaviors involving substance use and relational volatility. Openly homosexual since coming out in his youth, Cohen is a father to two children born via surrogacy and hosts the SiriusXM channel Radio Andy.

Andrew Joseph Cohen was born on June 2, 1968, in St. Louis, Missouri, to Evelyn and Lou Cohen, both of Ashkenazi Jewish descent with ancestral roots in Poland, Russia, and Lithuania. He has one sibling, a sister named Emily. The family maintained a Jewish household, instilling cultural and religious traditions during his early years.