While speaking at the New York City vigil for the victims of the mass shooting, the 48-year-old talk show host revealed that he could have been at the Pulse gay club when the incident happened.
- Jun 14, 2016
AceShowbiz - Another famous face delivering an emotional speech for the victims of the Orlando mass shooting at Pulse gay nightclub was Andy Cohen. The openly gay television host spoke at a vigil in New York City while paying tribute to those killed during the horrific incident.
As he pronounced the names of the victims, he revealed that he could have been at the venue when the incident happened. "This has touched me probably more than anything just because I think I could have been there," he said. "And when I look at the pictures of the victims, those are people that are not just my lesbian and gay brothers and sisters, I see their faces and I see people that I know and that I relate to."
"It's a scary, scary reminder that there are really awful people in the world," he continued. "For me, it's yet another wakeup call that nobody needs an assault rifle except the people who are actually protecting us. More than anything that's happened, it made me feel like I'm going to do what I can as a citizen to get rid of assault weapons."
Andy, who had to host "Watch What Happens Live" just a few hours after the shooting, opened up about his feelings during the taping on Monday, June 13. He told Entertainment Tonight, "I've never wanted to go on TV less than I did last night. But nobody's watching my show to hear about the news, they're watching my show to smile and so at the end of the day, that's kind of my vow to people who watch the show -- I'm gonna make you smile no matter what happened that's horrible in the day."
What made him even more devastated was that the victims in the incident were killed for being who they really were. "You go to a gay bar and for some people it's the only safe place that they have," Andy continued. "A gay bar is about a safe place and a place to feel free and a place where you can be a part of a community. So the idea that these people who were there to be just with people they love and be safe and have fun, were killed for being who they are, it just kills me."
At least 50 people were killed and 53 others were injured after Omar Saddiqui Mateen opened fire inside the Pulse nightclub on Saturday, June 11. Following the incident, a lot of celebrities took to social media to express their sympathy for the victims' families.
