Former CNN host Chris Cuomo, who was fired on Saturday night, was mocked online, and his former employer was slammed for a variety of reasons following the announcement.
In a statement announcing Cuomo’s termination, the network said that it had encountered new information that led to its decision:
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.
“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. “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.”
Notable reactions to CNN’s statement that it fired Cuomo included:
- Batya Ungar-Sargon, Newsweek: “There’s a parallel between Chris Cuomo’s downfall and Andrew Cuomo’s: It was sexual misconduct, not sending seniors to their deaths, that brought down Andrew—and it was advising Andrew on sexual misconduct, not failing to report the deaths of seniors, that brought down Chris. I don’t think it minimizes the seriousness of sexual misconduct to point out that a society that ranks it as a worse sin than sending seniors and the developmentally disabled to their deaths is in some way deeply sick.”
- Jason Rantz, radio host: “Jeffrey Toobin still has a job. But not Chris Cuomo. So it begs the question: what in the world did CNN find during their investigation (up until this point)?”
- Caleb Hull, political strategist: “Chris Cuomo should have been fired a long time ago when he tested positive for COVID, left his house anyway, got into a fight with a cyclist, and then making a spectacle of him leaving quarantine for the ‘first time’ when we all knew the truth.”
- Mollie Hemingway, The Federalist: “So whatever Chris Cuomo did, it was worse than peddling Russia collusion lies like @jaketapper does, and worse than @JeffreyToobin’s at-work self-pleasuring. Because they’ve both kept their CNN jobs.”
- Karol Markowicz, New York Post: “Where do I place my $5 bet that this is ultimately NOT about Chris Cuomo helping his brother? The rumor right now is Chris has his own sexual harassment allegations. I’ll buy that, or something else, not buying it was because he ‘helped’ Andrew. My other bet is we’re going to start hearing stories about abusive behavior from Chris Cuomo ala his brother. And everyone will be like ‘oh yeah, everyone knew that.’”
- Greg Dworkin, Daily Kos: “If we are lucky Cillizza will quit in solidarity.”
- Ned Ryun, political strategist: “Tood-a-loo, Fredo.”
- Adrienne Lawrence, attorney: “TRANSLATION: We terminated Chris Cuomo for cause after finding out about more misconduct in which he’s engaged that you’ll likely find out about soon.”
- Paul DeBenedetto, reporter: “Again a reminder that CNN regularly allowed Chris Cuomo to interview his brother, the governor of New York, on live national TV. Through February. And only after the governor was being scrutinized for the nursing home deaths. Lindsey Boylan made her allegations in December. In grad school journalism ethics class I remember everybody asking questions about all kinds of minutiae — can I drink coffee with a source??? can they pay???? can I pay???????? — and CNN let Chris Cuomo have a standing interview with his governor brother during multiple scandals.”
- Giancarlo Sopo, media strategist: “Of all the dumb things Chris Cuomo has done over the years, helping out his brother might be the least offensive.”
- Howitzer Balding, political commentator: “Kind of interesting that CNN announces they are going to be cutting costs and then all of a sudden all this stuff comes out even the basics of him helping his brother were already known. He was and is scum but just saying.”
- Drew Holden, media critic: “Definitely well-deserved, but I hadn’t expected it. Thought this would be the latest storm Cuomo would survive.”
- Meghan McCain, blogger: “What did he do that’s worse than masturbating on a zoom call?”
- Stephen L. Miller, political commentator: “Reminder that it was easier to get Andrew Cuomo out of being the Governor of New York than it was to get Chris Cuomo out of CNN.”