NBC’s New Year’s Eve coverage was panned by a number of viewers for apparently not including the countdown clock or ball drop at Times Square in New York City, with some describing it as a “train wreck” and a “complete disaster.”
People went on Twitter to criticize NBC’s coverage and its hosts on Monday night.
“NBC this is the worst New Years Show ever!!!” wrote one person on Twitter.
“NBC Is AWFUL!!!! What a horrible New Years program. They literally ruin everything they broadcast!” wrote another.
The show featured a lineup of Carson Daly, Chrissy Teigen, Leslie Jones, and Keith Urban.
Notably, Teigen was heavily panned for making lewd comments live on the air. She dedicated a brief segment to talking about an alternative medical procedure involving female genitalia about 15 minutes before the countdown.
“I’m embarrassed for America watching @chrissyteigen talk … Way to help me ring in the new year with family. Turning it to Fox now,” wrote one user, according to the Daily Mail, following Teigen’s comments.
“Literally 10 seconds into the New Year’s Show on #NBC and immediately that loud for nothing @chrissyteigen is shouting ‘WE HERE! WE HERE!’ and doing some drunken naked leg poses,” added another. “‘We here’ kinda sets the tone, no thanks. Sorry @CarsonDaly, I’m out.”
Others noted that NBC didn’t show the Times Square ball drop, as is customary during the New Year’s show.
“#NBC #New Years Eve Way to go NBC for dropping the ball! Watched the show and didn’t see a ball, but heard about [Tiegen’s lewd commentary],” wrote another viewer, according to the Daily Wire.
“‘NBC when did host become more of a focal point than the ball drop? Better luck in 2020? #fail #NewYearsEve2019,” added another person.
“We tuned in to see the ball drop. Explain where the hell THAT was,” another Twitter user wrote.
“For those of you that didn’t watch @nbc coverage of the ‘ball drop’ … they didn’t show the ball or a countdown clock, but we did get this lovely gem of @Lesdoggg tried to take out @chrissyteigen with an umbrella,” said another person.
CNN Criticized
Meanwhile, during CNN’s coverage, host Anderson Cooper and others were criticized for taking tequila shots on live TV.
“So CNN ‘prime time hosts’ on New Years Eve, including Anderson Cooper, Don Lemon, and Brooke Baldwin got drunk, promoted degeneracy, made no sense, embarrassed themselves, lied, and talked about nothing of importance for hours is different then a regular night on CNN, how?” wrote one person.
Added another: “CNN Opinionated Reporters who were covering the New Years celebrations. Such as Don Lemon and Anderson Cooper we’re drinking beer and doing shots while they were on air making fools of themselves. Imagine a Fox News Reporter doing the same. They would have been crucified!”
And co-host Andy Cohen panned the NYPD for not allowing them to use umbrellas as it was raining.
“It’s more than drizzling in Times Square,” Cohen said, according to Deadline Hollywood. “I’m not putting a damper on anything, but I will say this: I had this umbrella. The lady from the Times Square Alliance came over said: ‘You have to get rid of the umbrella!'”
“I said I won’t do it,” Cohen added. “I said, ‘Get the paddy wagon, cause that’s what it’s going to take.’ But now they are threatening to pull CNN’s spot from the credentials from Times Square for next year!”