CNN Fires Chris Cuomo
Breaking at – you guessed it – CNN! Brian Stelter writes
…anchor Chris Cuomo has been “terminated” by the network, “effective immediately.”
The announcement came after an outside law firm was retained to review information about exactly how Cuomo aided his brother, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, when the then-governor was accused of sexual harassment.
CNN said in a statement: “Chris Cuomo was suspended earlier this week pending further evaluation of new information that came to light about his involvement with his brother’s defense. We retained a respected law firm to conduct the review, and have terminated him, effective immediately.”
“While in the process of that review, additional information has come to light,” CNN’s statement added. “Despite the termination, we will investigate as appropriate.”
While the contours of Chris Cuomo’s involvement with the governor’s office were reported several months ago, the specifics were detailed in a massive document dump on Monday. The documents — released by New York Attorney General Letitia James after an investigation into the governor — showed that Chris Cuomo, while working as one of CNN’s top anchors, was also effectively working as an unpaid aide to the governor.
The announcement completed a stunning downfall for Chris Cuomo, the top-rated anchor at CNN and a veteran television journalist who had built a successful broadcast career outside of his famed political family. Until last month, Mr. Cuomo, the host of the 9 p.m. program “Cuomo Prime Time,” had enjoyed the support of CNN’s president, Jeff Zucker, and he faced no discipline for his behind-the-scenes strategizing with Andrew Cuomo’s political aides, a breach of basic journalistic norms.
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“This is not how I want my time at CNN to end but I have already told you why and how I helped my brother,” Mr. Cuomo said in a statement on Saturday. “So let me now say as disappointing as this is, I could not be more proud of the team at ‘Cuomo Prime Time’ and the work we did as CNN’s #1 show in the most competitive time slot. I owe them all and will miss that group of special people who did really important work.”
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CNN embraced the brothers’ on-air relationship at the onset of the pandemic, when Chris Cuomo, who contracted Covid, broadcast his show from quarantine in the basement of his Long Island home. Andrew Cuomo joined several times for highly-rated emotional conversations, which Mr. Zucker praised for their “authenticity and relatability and vulnerability.”
And, we’ll freely admit, it not only drove home the severity of the pandemic, but made for great television.
DEVELOPING…