CNN fired star host Chris Cuomo on Saturday evening and mentioned in a press release that the network had encountered “additional information” about the host during its investigation into his role in helping his brother, then-New York Democrat Governor Andrew Cuomo, navigate a sexual misconduct scandal.
CNN did not disclose what the “additional information” was, but a top journalist at the New York Post claims that it is related to alleged sexual harassment accusations against Chris Cuomo.
“Source tell me the ‘additional information’ that’s come to light mentioned at end of CNN statement are sexual harassment allegations,” Julia Marsh, the New York Post’s City Hall Bureau Chief, tweeted. “There is an alleged Chris Cuomo sexual harassment victim represented by a high profile attorney, according to a source.”
There is an alleged Chris Cuomo sexual harassment victim represented by a high profile attorney, according to a source https://t.co/wFlXSn2slx
— Julia Marsh (@juliakmarsh) December 5, 2021
The New York Post’s report said that the “additional information” referenced by CNN is “sexual in nature, a source said.”
In a statement announcing Chris Cuomo’s termination, the network had said that it had encountered new information that led to its decision to terminate him:
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. Despite the termination, we will investigate as appropriate.
Buried at the very bottom of CNN’s report on Cuomo’s firing, 20 paragraphs down, CNN reported:
The CNN statement on Saturday also referred to “additional information [that] has come to light” during the review of the document dump. A CNN spokesperson declined to share any further detail about the information.
“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,” Chris Cuomo said in a statement responding to his termination. “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.”
CNN president Jeff Zucker told employees about the termination in a memo, saying that “it goes without saying that these decisions are not easy, and there are a lot of complex factors involved.”
Cuomo was suspended on Tuesday after documents released by New York Attorney General Letitia James showed that he was more involved in helping his brother than he previously disclosed.
At the time of his suspension, the network said:
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 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. However, these documents 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.
This article has been expanded after publication to include additional information.