CNN Fires Chris Cuomo

CNN has fired anchor Chris Cuomo following the revelations of in-depth details on how the prime time anchor assisted his brother, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, when the latter was facing a growing controversy over sexual harassment accusations.

What Happened: CNN, a division of AT&T’s T WarnerMedia, suspended Cuomo on Tuesday following the release of documents from New York Attorney General Letitia James that gave greater detail on how Cuomo worked to help his brother strategize against allegations from at least 11 women that ultimately torpedoed his political career and forced him to resign from office.

Cuomo acknowledged advising his brother in May and issued an on-air apology. However, the documents from James’ office gave hitherto-unknown insight into how Cuomo sought information from other journalists on the accusers and shared what he found with the governor’s staff. He also played a key role creating the governor’s responses to the women’s claims.

The Associated Press reported that CNN chief executive Jeff Zucker announced the news in an email to the network’s staff on Saturday.

“It goes without saying that these decisions are not easy, and there are a lot of complex factors involved,” Zucker wrote.

What Happens Next: Cuomo issued a statement on Twitter TWTR expressing his unhappiness with the decision. 

“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,” he tweeted. “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.”

Cuomo had worked at Fox, CNBC and ABC before joining CNN in 2013 as the anchor of its morning news show. He gained an evening slot as host of “Cuomo Prime Time,” but during the COVID-19 pandemic he was criticized for having his brother as a guest on his show without seeking serious answers to the controversies surround the governor's handling of the health crisis, particularly his policies that many claimed contributed to an abnormally high fatality rate in 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: Screen shot from CNN broadcast of "Cuomo Prime Time"