New dad Andy Cohen is enduring his first bout of ‘parent shaming’

Posted in Newborn.
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Andy Cohen welcomed a brand new baby boy named Benjamin two weeks ago, the little guy arriving with some help from a surrogate.

Benjamin Allen Cohen

Andy – who is the host of Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live and referee at most of the Real Housewives reunions, amongst many other things – could not be more delighted to be a solo dad.

“There is a comfort in knowing that he’s there waiting for me,” Andy told the Today Show this week when he stopped by to talk about Benny’s arrival.

“I went out for my first night away from him, just for dinner with friends the other night, and I was sitting there and I realized, ‘Wow! I love it that he’s there at home for me.’ It’s an anchor. It’s my family. I was like, ‘I love this feeling.’ ”


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“An anchor”

Andy says that having Benny in his life has turned everything upside down … in all kinds of brilliant ways.

“I look at him the way I used to look at Instagram,” he continued. “I just sit and stare at him. I’m like, ‘Well, this is more interesting than a bunch of hot guys on my feed!’ ”

Andy’s son’s birth was bawdily anticipated at a Real Housewives-studded baby shower and now that he’s actually arrived reality TV stars and fans can not get enough of the baby spam.

Of course (sigh) it was only a matter of time before Andy was inducted in the parenting hall of shame, and it happened this week when he shared a sweet photo of baby Benjamin asleep in his cot.

View this post on Instagram

Swaddled up…

A post shared by Andy Cohen (@bravoandy) on

Here come the parent police

While most people offered supportive and celebratory comments, many still felt the need to weigh in and let Andy know that he was not dad-ing correctly.

“Please get a foam wedge so he can lay on his side. If he throws up while on his back … well … lets not even type it,” one wrote ominously providing advice that goes against safe sleeping guidelines.

“I can imagine you may have had unsolicited advice but just to mention he needs to be in a smaller crib then later move to the cot,” someone else posted. Sigh.

“ABC: Alone, on their back, in an empty crib,” another commenter wrote. “Get all that extra shit outta there.” 

“Swaddling is too tight. Those wonderful baby legs need to stretch also,” one follower decided.

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Digging the #DadGear !!!

A post shared by Andy Cohen (@bravoandy) on

Rude, rude, rude

Some people extended their commentary further, weighing in on decor and feeding choices.

“He needs some color in there! Bright reds, blues, greens!” one person asserted.

“I hope you have a mattress pad under your sweet baby boys sheet,” someone else warned.

“Hope he is getting breast milk,” another commenter wrote and some people really can’t help themselves can they?

One commenter wondered if all this unsolicited advice was a little bit … dadphobic AND homophobic. They suggested that people might assume that because Andy’s a gay father – without a woman to co-parent with – that people think he’s less capable. And do you know what? I think there might be something in that. And shame on THOSE people for their ignorant judgement.

Keep the baby spam coming, Andy (and plz stop the shaming, mouthy Instagram types!)

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