Andy Cohen and musician John Mayer must have been the friendship between acting legend Bette Midler and country star Dolly Parton.
Through social media and media appearances the pair have seen their close bond spark curiosity and speculation from fans and the media alike.
Andy Cohen, 56, is perhaps best known to 99 per cent of you as the man behind Bravo’s “Real Housewives” franchise.
As the first openly gay host of a late-night talk show, he is also the host of “Watch What Happens Live”, which he also hosts.
Meanwhile, Grammy winning musician John Mayer, 47, is best known for chart topping hits like, “Gravity” and “Your Body Is a Wonderland.”
They became friends in the mid 2010s and have grown closer on the basis of shared passions — including a love both had for Grateful Dead.
One of their first publicly documented trips happened in 2015, when they went off on a trek collecting several tickets to a Grateful Dead concert.
Cohen and Mayer have been spotted together all the time over the years, at events, sharing candid snaps on social media, and even camping together.
Fans and followers have speculated about such a romance, rooting for it as others have disapproved.
If they are, I am happy for them. I love them both!”
However, both Cohen and Mayer have both denied these rumors, telling Bloomberg Bytemark that their relationship is strictly platonic.
Cohen said their bond was ‘very sweet’ in a 2018 interview, and that they spend a lot of time together.
On a recent segment on “The Howard Stern Show” Cohen spoke freely about his and Mayer’s love for each other, saying, ‘I love John Mayer, we love each other.’
Cohen added that their friendship is ‘very, very deep’, while their connection is ‘not romantic’ despite their affectionate tone.
A long trailblazer in the entertainment industry for LGBTQ+ representation, Cohen publicly came out in 2009.
He’s also a single father to two sons via surrogacy, which he’s talked about often using his platform to discuss acceptance and inclusivity.
Mayer has also weighed in on the rumors of their friendship and their relationship, saying she is upset with the assumptions folks make about real friendships.
‘I would assume people are sensible enough to understand a relationship like ours without jumping to the conclusion that there are s3xual undertones,’ he wrote in a letter to “The Hollywood Reporter.”
Mayer accused such stereotypes, saying that ‘turning the concept of being gay into an ignorantly two dimensional thing’.
Mayer and Cohen have also noted that the persistent rumors mirror societal discomfort with all varieties of male friendship.
In the past however, Cohen has generally found humor in the speculation that he has had an ‘relationship’ with Mayer.
He tells it humorously, recalling how he’d tell fans, ‘Let them speculate!’ In all honesty, I really love John Mayer and he really loves me.”
Societal norms are challenged and new air is breathed into what friendships can or should be through their camaraderie.
This is telling of how platonic relationships can be so deep that traditional labels can keep the public ignorant of it.
To conclude, Andy Cohen has also cleared the air about their friendship, the speculation not dying down anytime soon.
He broke his silence to point out that even though there’s some affectionate bond between the two, there is no romantic relationship between him and Mayer.
It is a surety of friendship powerful enough to overcome stereotypes and to ask us to think once again about norms.
In an era where friendships and relationships aren’t always clear cut, but love, in any form, has always soared above boundaries and definitions, Cohen and Mayer bring us back down to reality.