CNN fired anchor Chris Cuomo on Saturday less than a week after new information emerged about how he assisted his brother, former New York governor Andrew Cuomo, as the politician faced sexual harassment allegations earlier this year.
The network had suspended its prime-time host on Tuesday to investigate his conduct, after New York’s attorney general released details showing he was more involved than previously known in helping to strategize and reach out to other journalists as his brother fought to keep his job.
CNN hired a law firm for that review, which it would not identify. The lawyers recommended Chris Cuomo’s termination and CNN chief Jeff Zucker informed the anchor of the decision on Saturday.
.Photo: AP
“It goes without saying that these decisions are not easy, and there are a lot of complex factors involved,” Zucker said in an e-mail to CNN staff on Saturday.
The network said that “while in the process of that review, additional information has come to light.”
CNN would not discuss that information, or characterize whether it had anything to do with his brother.
Chris Cuomo issued a statement on Twitter calling the decision disappointing.
“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. 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,” he said.
Even with the firing, CNN said it will continue to investigate Cuomo’s conduct “as appropriate.”
A year ago the two sons of the late New York governor Mario Cuomo were flying high: Andrew Cuomo as a three-term governor praised initially in many circles for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, Chris Cuomo as the top-rated personality on CNN. Now they are both out of work.
As women came forward accusing Andrew Cuomo of sexual harassment, his brother, despite being a CNN anchor, pressed sources for information on the accusers and reported back to the governor’s staff on what he was learning.
He was active in helping craft their response to the charges, according to e-mails and a transcript of his testimony to investigators working for New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Her office found that Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed at least 11 women; the former governor resigned in August to avoid a likely impeachment trial.
Chris Cuomo and CNN have been under fire for months about their anchor’s conduct. When it first came to light in May that the anchor had been talking to his brother’s advisers, the network acknowledged that he had broken its rules, but, as CNN said in a statement upon his suspension earlier this week: “We also appreciated the unique position he was in and understood his need to put family first and job second.”
The transcripts released by James last week revealed considerably more detail about Chris Cuomo’s involvement — conduct CNN executives admitted was a surprise even to them.
While Chris Cuomo has said he never tried to influence CNN’s own coverage of his brother, he told investigators for James about his calls to other journalists to find out what information they had about some of Andrew Cuomo’s accusers.
Chris Cuomo also said that he never “attacked, nor encouraged anyone to attack any woman who came forward” with accusations against his brother.
According to e-mail transcripts released last week, Chris Cuomo wrote to aides that “I have a lead” on one of the accusers, although it was not clear what he meant.
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