Andy Cohen: "The Only Person I Sell Out in My Book Is..."

Here’s a way to indulge this holiday season without any calories: Gobble up Andy Cohen’s new book, The Andy Cohen Diaries: A Deep Look at a Shallow Year ($26, amazon.com). It’s full of delicious celebrity ish and dish, with his casual star mentions including Lady Gaga, Cameron Diaz, Madonna and more. And that’s exactly what he wanted. “I just felt like if I’m going to name names, I’ve got to deliver,” he told us over the phone last week. “It is inspired by The Andy Warhol Diaries, and that’s a book that delivered.”

Truly it is a 343 page-long invitation into his world, from his love of rescue dog Wacha to the craziness that occurs on his Watch What Happens Live Bravo show. “I feel like the only person I sell out in this book is myself,” he said. “I ride the line with a few other people, but I definitely make myself the butt of most of the jokes. Mostly, I want people to get a taste of what it feels like to go to these parties and hang out with these people and host this show and fall in love with this dog and be in my shoes. I think it succeeds in all of that.”

Some of his closest celeb friends encouraged him throughout the process of writing. He sent early versions to Anderson Cooper and Sarah Jessica Parker as a test. “I wanted to make sure they felt comfortable with the tone,” he said. They loved it. “It was a great seal of approval from them, and made me feel like I could keep going. I had a few things in the book that I was like, Is this too much? and they were really encouraging.”

By the end, you’ll feel like your Andy’s bestie. It’s just his trick. He does it on his show every night and through his social media. But to really make it to BFF status there’s one thing you need: “Make me laugh and I’ll be your best friend,” he said.