Andy Cohen found himself defending his babysitter pay after a recent conversation sparked some teasing. He did not seem ready to let the comments go. He soon looked to some famous friends for their thoughts. Kelly Ripa became one of the people he contacted during the debate.
Andy Cohen asked Kelly Ripa what she pays her babysitter after Jeff Lewis called him “cheap”
Jeff Lewis explained how Cohen reacted to his comments during Tuesday’s episode of Not Skinny But Not Fat. Lewis said Cohen “was defensive” after hearing that his babysitter rate seemed too low. “He was like texting Kelly Ripa and s— like, ‘What do you pay your babysitter?’” Lewis recalled. He said Cohen also contacted other famous friends to compare their childcare rates.
The argument started during an earlier episode of Radio Andy. Cohen told Lewis he paid his 23-year-old babysitter $70 for two hours and 15 minutes of work. Lewis quickly called the amount “cheap,” especially because of Cohen’s money. “Did that even cover the cab?” Lewis joked before saying he would have paid $100 for the same two-child job.
According to EW!, Lewis also shared his own babysitter rate during the discussion. He said he pays his babysitter $37 an hour to watch his 9-year-old daughter. Lewis has later clarified his reasons for being bothered about Cohen’s payment. “I have an idea of the kind of money that Andy makes, right?” he said. “I think $30 an hour is on the low end, especially for two kids.”
Cohen’s reaction became a bigger part of the story when he started asking friends for reassurance. Lewis said Cohen texted at least three people about their babysitter rates while they discussed the issue. He specifically named Ripa, whose children are now adults. The exchange shows just how much the criticism caught Cohen’s attention.
This story originally appeared on Realitytea
