It’s a let-it-out hangout
Bravo maestro Andy Cohen wants guests on his talk show to feel at home — his home, which is what the set is modeled after. Inhibitions loosen, as do tongues.
Mary J. Blige admits being a member of the mile-high club. Ralph Fiennes walks out in PJS and giant slippers. A “Real Housewife” talks about her fling with Gerard Butler. Why do celebrities on the Bravo talk show “Watch What Happens Live” say and do things that they wouldn’t on Leno or Letterman?
One reason for the on-air craziness just might be the show’s set — more specifically, the wall-to-wall tchotchkes belonging to host Andy Cohen. When the show was picked up, Cohen said, he had art director Kenny Cahall come to his apartment for inspiration.
“The reason the set looks theway it does is because I wanted it to feel like me,” he said. “The show is so much a result of my mind and sensibility that it just seemed like it would be more comfortable if it sort of looked like me too.”
Shelves are filled with oddities (a Justin Bieber doll in a pink wrap dress) and books written by reality TV stars unleashed upon the world by Cohen, who in addition to hosting “Watch What Happens Live” five nights aweek also serves as Bravo’s executive vice president of development and talent. The latest prized acquisition? An old wooden ski with three shot glasses glued on, made by Jimmy Fallon and his wife.
It may sound like a hot mess, but it’s a popular one. About 1.2 million folks, mostly women, are tuning in to catch the show, making it more popular than Conan O’brien’s or Chelsea Handler’s program. And the maestro behind the madness said he simply feels at home. “I know that some people think it’s kitschy or tacky,” Cohen said, “but I think it’s really beautiful.”