Times Square Alliance rips Andy Cohen over umbrella claim

Umbrellagate thunders on.

The Times Square authorities are fighting back against Andy Cohen’s suggestion that they singled him out when they made him take down his umbrella during his New Year’s Eve CNN broadcast.

Cohen, who furiously ranted live on the air about being forced to take it down during a downpour, posted a collage of celebs on Twitter who appeared to be allowed to keep their umbrellas up during their Times Square broadcasts Monday night.

The group included Jenny McCarthy for ABC and Carson Daly and Leslie Jones for NBC.

But the Times Square Alliance wearily told Page Six, “It has been our policy that umbrellas are not permitted on the media riser so as to not interfere with media colleagues’ sightlines. There were over 100 credentialed members of the media and 15 live broadcast camera spots on the media riser this year.”

Explaining why some networks were able to use umbrellas, it added, “We don’t monitor this issue on other stages that are stand-alone with no other networks present, thus no potential for other camera shots to be blocked.”

They also deny Cohen’s claim the Alliance threatened to pull CNN’s credentials, saying, “Some tempers flared, but it was never the case, nor will it be the case, that CNN would be denied credentials or the ability to cover New Year’s Eve.”