Andy Cohen responds to being dad-shamed: 'I am indeed a real person'

A warning to anyone tempted to troll or dad-shame Andy Cohen: He might respond.

One person found that out the hard way after sending the Bravo talk show host and father to 2-year-old Benjamin a message that appeared to criticize his parenting. Cohen, who is gay, welcomed his son in February 2019 via a gestational surrogate.

"You should try and be a better person for your son," the commenter told the single dad, according to a screenshot posted on Cohen's Instagram.

But Cohen caught them by surprise by replying, "What am I doing wrong?"

"Oh wow, didn't expect a response," the person admitted. "I was just being a troll. You're doing fine. [Sorry]."

Cohen then responded, "I am indeed a real person. Thanks for understanding."

The commenter said it was "cool" for him to get in touch, but added, "you probably shouldn't confront trolls though."

To this, Cohen retorted, "You probably shouldn't troll people though."

Sharing the exchange on Instagram, the 53-year-old wrote, "social media in a nutshell…"

Cohen's fans — including Andrew Rannells and John Stamos, who has spoken about his own brush with dad-shaming — rushed to defend his parenting and admonish the person who was seemingly trolling for the sake of it.

"You’re a strong man who is doing the best for his son!" read one comment. "I’m proud of you, Andy, and love is coming y’all’s way!!"

"I think you are a phenomenal dad!" another fan wrote.

"You are an amazing person and father," added Stephanie Hollman from The Real Housewives of Dallas. "Never listen to the trolls."

Cohen has been a frequent target of dad-shaming, including being criticized for flying with a newborn Ben in 2019. He told Howard Stern of the controversy, “You don’t think I checked with three pediatricians before?”

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