Chris Cuomo terminated by CNN over efforts to help brother

CNN confirmed on Saturday that it had terminated network anchor Chris Cuomo following the reveal of documents earlier this week that indicated he had played a larger role than previously known in assisting his brother, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), during his sexual harassment scandal.

“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,” CNN said in a statement. 

“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,” the network added. 

In a statement posted on Twitter, the former anchor said, “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.”

pic.twitter.com/YArsJnUjqf

— Christopher C. Cuomo (@ChrisCuomo) December 4, 2021

“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,” he added. 

Earlier this week, CNN said it had suspended Chris Cuomo indefinitely after documents made public by New York Attorney General Letitia James’s (D) office indicated that he sought to be included in helping the former governor handle sexual harassment allegations. 

The documents revealed texts he had exchanged with former aides to his brother, including one in which he was asked to “check with his sources” in the media about other women considering reporting sexual harassment allegations. 

The documents further showed that in a text message sent to one of the former aides, Chris Cuomo mentioned that he had “a lead on the wedding girl,” likely referencing one woman who had accused the former governor of inappropriate touching during a wedding.

“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,” the network said on Tuesday.

“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,” CNN added.

— Updated at 6:05 p.m.