The banter is just two old friends joking around on a radio show, highlighting their long-standing dynamic without any real malice.
Insiders suggest Lewis’s critique strikes a nerve because Cohen is known for his lavish lifestyle, making a $30/hour rate seem surprisingly frugal for a Manhattan elite.
On Sept. 28, Lewis stated, "That sounds cheap to me," noting he pays $37/hour for his own sitter. Cohen clarified he paid $70 for 2 hours and 15 minutes.
If you're paying a babysitter in NYC, better check your math before Jeff Lewis gets on the mic.
Jeff Lewis is once again proving that his mouth writes checks his wallet doesn’t always care about, but he certainly has opinions to back up. The Flipping Out star took aim at his longtime friend and Bravo colleague Andy Cohen during the September 28 episode of SiriusXM’s Andy Cohen Live. The target of his ire?
Cohen’s alleged stinginess when it comes to compensating childcare. Lewis didn’t mince words, declaring the rate Cohen paid "cheap" for someone with his financial standing. The drama unfolded when it was revealed that Cohen paid his 23-year-old babysitter approximately $30 an hour to watch his children, Benjamin, 6, and Lucy, 4.
Lewis, who pays his own sitter $37 an hour to care for his 9-year-old daughter Monroe, couldn’t believe the discrepancy. "Especially from someone with your money!" Lewis quipped, questioning if the payment even covered the sitter’s cab fare. The interaction highlights the playful but pointed nature of their friendship, where Lewis often plays the role of the unfiltered critic.
Cohen, ever the diplomat, attempted to clarify the math during the broadcast. He corrected Lewis, stating that the sitter was present for two hours and fifteen minutes, resulting in a total payment of $70. While Lewis conceded that he "probably would've given her a hundred for two hours," especially with two kids involved, the jab remained.
It’s a classic tea-rex moment: the receipts show a mere seven-dollar difference in hourly rate, but the optics of a media mogul appearing "cheap" are undeniable. This isn’t the first time Cohen has opened up about the complexities of modern fatherhood. In a May 2023 interview with Anderson Cooper, Cohen admitted that parenting had "changed me in every way," shifting his priorities and sense of accomplishment.
He also recently announced his relationship with boyfriend Kevin Sobieski, noting they took their time introducing him to the kids. But despite the emotional depth of his family life, Jeff Lewis remains focused on the bottom line: if you want a happy sitter in New York, you might need to dig a little deeper into your pocket.
