CNN broadcasted a passionate kiss between an interracial same-sex couple. The kiss happened right after the ball dropped in New York City’s Time Square. Most people kiss right after the ball drops as a way to welcome in the new year.

The two men don comically large hats as they kiss on camera. The show for the night on CNN was hosted by Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen.

Unbeknownst to them, their kiss sparked a lot of debate online. People flocked to X (formerly known as Twitter) to talk about how excited they were to see queer representation on television.

“Gay people watch straights kiss on TV every day. Get over it and get used to it,” a person wrote.

Another individual added, “Wishing you all a happy planet fitness CNN interracial gay kiss New Year!”

But of course, where there is praise there are also those who are unhappy. An X user wrote their prediction, “CNN’s first shot after the ball drop appears to be an interracial gay kiss. The outrage will be hilarious.”

Of course, people repeated homophobic rhetoric about the image and scene that CNN displayed.

Other people wisely pointed out that Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen are openly gay men and since they were hosting the show, viewers should already be comfortable with LGBTQ+ individuals instead of making an issue about it.

CNN’s choosing to broadcast the two men kissing sent a clear message; while they knew there would be backlash, they simply ignored it and did what they thought was appropriate. They were merely showing images of couples kissing one another, and the interracial same-sex couple happened to be one of them!