CNN’s much-discussed alcohol ban didn’t prevent at least one major problem on New Year’s Eve, as the network missed the countdown in the Central Time Zone.
The network showed Don Lemon and New Orleans revelers dancing to Juvenile’s “Back That Azz Up” as midnight approached and 2022 ended without a countdown or mention.
Lemon may have noticed a few seconds of lag. As he tossed the beads into the dancing crowd, something was heard about a countdown just after midnight. The song went on a bit longer, leading to a strange split-screen shot of fireworks and hugs in Nashville, also in the Central Time Zone, as 2023 rolls into New Orleans:
Some on social media noted that the broadcast appeared to have some technical issues that prevented Lemon from listening to his producers throughout the evening.
Whatever the reason, viewers definitely noticed the missed midnight:
