Chris Cuomo Suspended By CNN: What You Need To Know

CNN has announced it suspended its prime-time anchor Chris Cuomo “indefinitely, pending further evaluation,” in the wake of new disclosures regarding the depth and scope of advisory assistance that he provided to his brother, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, during the latter’s efforts to swat away allegations of sexual harassment.

What Happened: CNN, a division of AT&T’s T WarnerMedia, released a statement on Tuesday evening announcing that Cuomo would not be on camera for the foreseeable future.

“The New York Attorney General’s office released transcripts and exhibits Monday that shed new light on Chris Cuomo’s involvement in his brother’s defense,” the network said in its statement. “The documents, which we were not privy to before their public release, raise serious questions."

“When Chris admitted to us that he had offered advice to his brother’s staff, he broke our rules and we acknowledged that publicly. But we also appreciated the unique position he was in and understood his need to put family first and job second.”

CNN added that the documents released by New York’s Attorney General “point to a greater level of involvement in his brother’s efforts than we previously knew. As a result, we have suspended Chris indefinitely, pending further evaluation.”

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Why It Matters: Last May, Cuomo issued an apologetic statement regarding the behind-the-scenes consulting he provided to his brother when the sexual harassment claims were threatening to end his political career, claiming it was a mistake and that it would not occur again.

Cuomo’s career in television journalism took him to CNBC and Fox News before he gained prominence at ABC, where he co-anchored “20/20” and served as morning anchor on “Good Morning America.” He joined CNN as co-anchor of its morning news broadcast in 2013, and by 2018, he gained an evening slot as host of “Cuomo Prime Time.”

Cuomo generated criticism for having his brother as a guest on his evening show, during the COVID-19 crisis in 2020, where the siblings engaged in mild and occasionally jokey exchanges without any questions being raised on Gov. Cuomo’s controversial policies that many people blamed for a high COVID-related death rate New York’s nursing home residents.

"Cuomo Prime Time" did not cover the sexual harassment charges that ultimately resulted Gov. Cuomo’s resignation from office in August, with the anchor citing a conflict of interest as the reason for the absence of coverage.

Photo: Chris and Andrew Cuomo in a screenshot from a March 2020 episode of "Cuomo Prime Time"