Andy Cohen insists he is NOT sleeping with good friend John Mayer – as he squashes speculation they are in a romantic relationship: ‘Let them speculate!’

Andy Cohen has opened up once again about his close friendship with singer John Mayer – yet again denying they are in a romantic relationship 

The Bravolebrity, 55, was asked about their friendship as part of a profile for The Hollywood Reporter – squashing speculation the duo have tried are getting intimate. 

‘Let them speculate! I honestly love John Mayer, and he loves me. But because we’re so affectionate toward each other, people don’t know what box to put that in. They assume we’re sleeping with each other, which we are most definitely not,’ he said.

It is not the first time Andy has had to clarify the true nature of his relationship with Mayer.  

The fact that they are longtime close friends and Andy is gay has led to wild rumors about their friendship. 

But during an appearance on The Howard Stern Show last year, Andy insisted that his affection for John, 45, has never gotten physical.

At Howard’s urging, Andy even swore on his children Ben, five, and Lucy, two, that he and John have never fooled around.

However Andy did tell the self-proclaimed King Of All Media: ‘I am in love with John Mayer. We are in love with each other.’

‘I mean, swear on your children’s lives there’s never been anything sexual between you and John Mayer,’ Howard said, and Andy readily agreed: ‘I swear.’

In addition to his friendship with Mayer, Cohen also got candid about how producing the Real Housewives franchise has dramatically shifted over the years. 

The Bravo boss — who has been named in a bombshell lawsuit against the network by RHONY alum Leah McSweeney  — said that since launching the franchise over 15 years ago, the creators have had to swiftly adapt to the evolving cultural landscape. 

‘Producing a show about politically incorrect women in 2024 is different than producing a show about politically incorrect women in 2009,’ the TV host told The Hollywood Reporter.

‘We are living in an outrage culture now, and everyone has had to adapt to that,’ he continued.

Cohen added that viewers’ ‘sensitivity’ has grown more acute, attributing this shift to the pervasive influence of social media.

‘Sensitivities have changed over the years. Social media has a huge impact. There’s not a lot of room for nuance these days,’ he added.

When asked about the criticism that Bravo has been ‘slow to adapt’, such as diversifying their casts, Andy expressed his pride in the network’s efforts to ensure that the shows accurately reflect the demographics of the country.

He even acknowledged the 2020 death of George Floyd as a catalyst for change. 

‘George Floyd was an important cultural shift that forced us to look at all of our programming,’ he stated, noting that he is no longer in charge of programming.

‘Bravo made it a mandate to diversify its shows. I mean, they had a show, Summer House, that was like a bunch of white people in the Hamptons. Southern Charm was a bunch of white people tomcatting in Charleston. They thought, ‘Why are a lot of the shows so segregated?’

‘They decided that there needed to be more representation across the dial. And they did it.’

Cohen was also asked about McSweeney’s lawsuit that alleges he and the entire network fostered a ‘rotted’ workplace culture and that he and other producers constantly encouraging them to imbibe alcohol while filming.

A rep for Cohen previously told Dailymail.com that ‘the claims against Andy are completely false.’

In his interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Andy said that he was advised by his lawyers not to respond to certain allegations. However, he emphasized that no one is compelled to consume alcohol during production. 

‘What I’ll say about the alcohol is that we have so many sober people and people who have gotten sober on the show, like Countess Luann [de Lesseps],’ he explained.

‘We have people who’ve never had a drink during the entire run of the show. Jill Zarin. Kandi Burris. Heather Dubrow will just have an occasional glass of champagne. So sure, there are people who drink. There are many people who never drink. 

‘We don’t force anyone to do anything. But no one is secretly hiding liquor bottles on set. That’s ridiculous. We’ve been very supportive of people’s sobriety.’

Amidst these recent allegations against Bravo, including sexual harassment complaints from former Housewives Brandi Glanville and Brandi Glanville and Caroline Manzo, Bethenny Frankel continues to slam the network for fostering a toxic environment for women. 

Andy called the criticisms ‘hurtful’ and stated that he has no regrets about the way he has handled himself during his years at Bravo. 

‘I’m incredibly proud of the close relationships I’ve built in my 20 years at the network. I’m super proud of what we’ve built and of everybody who’s been a part of it. I think most people involved with these shows have been very grateful for the platform, but there will always be a few with complaints,’ he stated. 

‘Obviously, it’s no fun to be a target. So, yes, it’s hurtful. But I have no regrets about the way I’ve handled anything. I think everything that happens in your life informs the next thing that happens in your life. 

‘That’s the way I look at all this. I know what the truth is and I know how I’ve conducted myself, and I walk tall every day on that.’