Andy Cohen and Jenna Bush Hager may be friends, but that didn’t stop him from calling out Today With Jenna & Friends for ripping off of his Watch What Happens Live segments.
On the Wednesday, November 5, episode of WWHL, Cohen asked his guests Janelle James and Jerrod Carmichael about the “spookiest things” that have happened to them in their standup comedy careers. “Have you ever had a joke stolen before?” he asked, to which James replied, “Many times. Mostly by men.”
Cohen went on to question, “Do you call them out on it?” James responded, “I have, in a roundabout way. I say, ‘Hey, I used to have a joke like that. That reminds me of a joke I used to have.’”
Following the Abbott Elementary star’s answer, Cohen revealed that Bush Hager borrowed one of his late-night show’s game segments. “We get games stolen all the time, and we say nothing. ‘Prompter Wars,’ I’m looking at you, Jenna Bush,” he stated.
The show’s “Prompter Wars” segment sees Cohen face-off against his guests in a competition to see who can successfully read wordy and complicated news reports off the teleprompter. Bush Hager has played the same game, using the same title and rules, on Jenna & Friends with guests such as Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Kenan Thompson, and Bowen Yang in recent months.
The game, however, has previously appeared on Today before the NBC morning show’s fourth hour was rebranded as Jenna & Friends following Hoda Kotb‘s exit earlier this year. During a June 2024 episode of Today With Hoda & Jenna, Cohen challenged Kotb and guest host Sheinelle Jones to a round of “Prompter Wars.”
“Put me at this desk! I want to be at this desk!” Cohen exclaimed after impressing the women with his teleprompter reading skills.
Cohen’s recent WWHL jab at Bush Hager was a playful one, as the pair are friends on and off the small screen. Cohen has even twice joined Bush Hager at the Jenna & Friends desk as a cohost, for episodes in April and June.
He most recently appeared on the show as a guest in September, during which he asked guest host Jones about rumors that she would be joining the cast of The Real Housewives of New York City. Jones, for her part, said at the time that her phone was blowing up with messages about the casting rumors.
“This didn’t get to me,” Cohen, who executive produces The Real Housewives franchise, stated, to which Jones replied, “Are you kidding me? My phone for the last 72 hours has been exploding.”
When asked the clarify the speculation, Jones neither confirmed nor denied the RHONY rumors. “Wait, you can’t leave us like that!” Bush Hager shouted. Cohen, meanwhile, liked Jones’ coy response, telling Bush Hager, “Yes, she can. It’s the game. And she left the door open.”
Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, Sunday-Thursday, 10 pm/9c, Bravo
Today With Jenna & Friends, Weekdays, 10 am/9c, NBC
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