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Why Is Andy Cohen Banning Miss Universe?
The WWHL host is protesting Russia's anti-gay legislation.
What was the deal breaker in the two-year relationship between Andy Cohen and Miss Universe? Russia.
After two consecutive years co-hosting the pageant, the Bravo exec and Watch What Happens Live host has decided not to return to the competition, which will take place Nov. 9 at the Crocus City Hall in Moscow, Russia.
In an interview with his friend and 2012 Miss Universe co-host, E! News' Giuliana Rancic, Cohen said Russia's "discriminatory policies make it unsafe for the gays who live there and gays coming to work or visit."
A law prohibiting "propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations among minors" was passed by Russian President Vladimir Putin last month. The legislation has set off protests both in Russia and around the world with celebrities like Lady Gaga and Harvey Fierstein also voicing their outrage. This, the latest in a series of anti-gay laws, could potentially criminalize any discussion or expression of homosexuality anywhere a minor could hear, which is essentially any public place.
Cohen told Rancic he "didn't feel right as a gay man stepping foot into Russia."
No word on who will replace Cohen.
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