Published: 22:37 BST, 28 September 2026 | Updated: 07:15 BST, 29 September 2026
Andy Cohen has managed to surprise and divide listeners of his SiriusXM radio show after candidly revealing the exact hourly rate he pays his current babysitter. The prominent television executive and Bravo personality was discussing the realities of modern parenting and household expenses with fellow television star Jeff Lewis during a recent episode of Andy Cohen Live when the surprising financial details came to light.
During the broadcast, Cohen, who is a father of two, confessed to his guest and audience that he currently pays his 23-year-old babysitter an hourly rate of $30. The admission immediately drew a sharp and incredulous response from Lewis, who stars in the reality series Still Flipping Out and is no stranger to the high costs associated with raising children in the public eye.
Lewis wasted no time expressing his astonishment at the figure, telling Cohen that the wage sounded remarkably low, particularly coming from someone with Cohen’s substantial financial success in the entertainment industry. The reality star questioned whether the payout was sufficient for the time and effort involved, asking how a brief shift could be justified at that price point and rhetorically wondering if the compensation even managed to cover the sitter’s transportation expenses.
To further emphasize his point, Lewis revealed his own domestic expenditure, sharing that he pays his own babysitter a higher rate of $37 an hour to look after his nine-year-old daughter, Monroe. In response to Lewis’s critique, Cohen attempted to provide a precise breakdown of the specific encounter they were discussing, clarifying that the sitter had been present for two hours and fifteen minutes, for which he ultimately handed over $70.
Unimpressed by the clarification, Lewis shot back that he likely would have offered a significantly higher sum, suggesting he would have given a hundred dollars for a comparable duration involving two children.
While Lewis was clearly perturbed by Cohen’s conservative compensation rates, the on-air exchange quickly spilled over into the digital realm, sparking a broader conversation among fans and listeners on social media platforms. Interestingly, public opinion on the matter was far from unanimous, with many regular listeners defending Cohen’s rates as standard practice for the regional economy. Several social media users pointed out that $30 an hour is a completely normal and customary rate for childcare services within the New York City market, where Cohen primarily resides and raises his family.
Another commenter weighed in on the nuance of local pricing, noting that while the rate might be considered acceptable for New York City when watching two children for a couple of hours, it still might not be categorized as exceptionally generous given the high cost of living in the metropolitan area.
Andy Cohen is a devoted father to two young children, seven-year-old son Benjamin and four-year-old daughter Lucy. Both of his children were welcomed into the world via surrogacy, a journey that Cohen has spoken about openly and emotionally in various interviews over the years. His decision to embrace fatherhood later in life has been a defining chapter in his personal narrative, reshaping his daily routines, his career perspective, and his long-term priorities.
In a thoughtful interview conducted a couple of years ago with close friend and fellow broadcaster Anderson Cooper, Cohen, now 58, opened up extensively about the underlying reasoning and personal reflections that drove his decision to become a father in his fifties. During that conversation, Cohen referenced a poignant musical inspiration shared by Cooper’s late mother, the legendary socialite Gloria Vanderbilt, recalling a specific piece of music that resonated deeply with him as he approached a major milestone birthday.
Cohen explained that he was approaching his fiftieth year when a particular song lyric echoed in his mind, prompting a deep introspection about his path, his achievements, and what truly mattered moving forward. He recalled feeling that there had to be a greater, more profound purpose for his life, acknowledging that while his professional success and lifestyle were wonderful, he was searching for a deeper fulfillment.
Having children, he noted, has fundamentally transformed him in virtually every conceivable way, leading to a complete realignment of his personal priorities. He described how his fundamental sense of accomplishment has undergone a total evolution since welcoming his children, noting that even the seemingly mundane daily tasks—such as preparing breakfast for his kids and navigating the morning school rush—carry a new kind of weight and reward. He humorously recounted the feeling of accomplishment he experiences simply by getting his son successfully dropped off at school, often telling himself that he had successfully conquered a challenging ordeal by the time the morning drop-off is complete.
Cohen also addressed the fact that he embarked on the journey of parenthood as a single man, explaining that he refused to let his relationship status deter him from fulfilling his deeply held desire to raise a family. He recalled making the conscious decision that he wanted to do it, that he was going to commit to it fully, and that even though he knew the path ahead would be extraordinarily difficult and largely unpredictable, he was ready to embrace the challenge.
In the time since expanding his family, Cohen’s personal life has continued to evolve, and he has since found romance with Kevin Sobieski, who is sixteen years his junior and works professionally in the private equity sector.
Meanwhile, Jeff Lewis has also been making headlines of his own with a major return to the television network that helped launch his broader public profile. Lewis recently made his official comeback to Bravo with the launch of a reboot of his classic and immensely popular reality television franchise, Flipping Out.
The new series, officially titled Still Flipping Out, is produced by 32 Flavors Entertainment and documents Lewis as he navigates the demanding intersection of his high-end interior design business and the fast-paced commitments of his concurrent SiriusXM radio show. True to the interconnected nature of the network’s talent ecosystem, the new program features guest appearances and cameo contributions from a variety of notable celebrities and familiar Bravo personalities, including Crystal Minkoff, Joey Zauzig, and Andy Cohen himself.
