Kathy Griffin Kisses Anderson Cooper's Crotch On National Television

UPDATE: Cooper doesn't think this was the "weirdest moment" of the broadcast.

No matter what vulgar things Kathy Griffin does on CNN's live New Year's Eve broadcasts, the folks at the supposedly most trusted name in news continue to invite her back.

On Monday night's program, after first telling co-host Anderson Cooper "I'm going to tickle your sack," she shortly after midnight actually kissed his crotch (video follows with transcribed highlights and commentary):

Roughly eleven minutes into the program which began at 10 PM, Cooper commented about how on Twitter folks were suggesting that there should be a game that whenever he giggles nervously during the show, contestants have to take a drink.

Then, completely out of the blue, Griffin said, “I'm going to tickle your sack. You can say sack. That's not bad.”

An obviously nervous Cooper responded, “I don't know what you're talking about. I have no sack of gifts here.”

Griffin then suggested the camera pan lower so the audience can see her “naughty gestures.”

When Cooper continued to try and clean it up by again referring to a sack of Christmas presents, Griffin asked, “You’re calling your privates your Christmas presents?”

When Cooper said, “No,” Griffin replied, “That’s typical hot guy. ‘Let’s open up the Christmas presents.’”

But Griffin wasn’t finished with her lewd behavior.

Shortly after midnight, Cooper showed viewers how they celebrate New Year’s Eve in Eastport, Maine.

National correspondent Gary Tuchman reported live that there’s a custom in the town to kiss a statue of an eight-foot sardine that they drop from the museum at the stroke of midnight. People were then shown kissing the sardine.

As Tuchman finished his report, Griffin in the left split-screen bent down and kissed Cooper's crotch.

As she continued to try to kiss it, Cooper asked her, “Did you drop something?”

“No, I was kissing your sardine,” Griffin replied.

“Thank you. I got it,” giggled Cooper.

“I can do it again,” Griffin said kneeling. “I can do this all night long."

“No, sweetie,” said Cooper lifting her back on her feet.

“I'm going on Letterman in two nights, and he wants a moment,” argued Griffin as she went down again.

“I'm going down,” she said. “You know you want to.”

“Believe me, I really don't,” said Cooper as he once again pulled her upright.

“It's after midnight,” protested Griffin.

“I never have,” argued Cooper.

“No one's even going to, what's the big deal?” responded Griffin as she went down again.

“I don't know what you're talking about,” Cooper said pulling her up as he handed it off to Brooke Baldwin in New Orleans.

Is this what the self-described "most trusted name in news" considers acceptable fare?

Consider that during the 2009 show, Griffin dropped an F-bomb. The year before she directed a vulgar oral sex reference to a heckler. Last year she stripped down to her underwear.

Yet CNN keeps inviting her back.

Boggles the mind, doesn't it?