Why did CNN fire Chris Cuomo?

News anchor and journalist Chris Cuomo has had a successful career, appearing on Fox News’ Fox Files, ABC’s 20/20 and Good Morning America, and other news outlets before moving to CNN in 2013 to serve as a co-host and field anchor in a variety of shows for the network.

In 2018, Chris hosted his own news program on CNN titled Cuomo Prime Time, wherein the anchor interviewed prominent figures, analyzed and reported on the latest news, and provided his commentary on pressing issues. Chris has been honored with several prestigious journalism awards including a Polk Award and Peabody Award, a Daytime Emmy, and a News & Documentary Emmy. In January 2021, Cuomo Prime Time was the most-watched program on CNN, but despite the show’s success and large viewership, the network fired Chris in November that same year.

The Andrew Cuomo sexual harassment allegations

In Dec. 2020, Chris’ brother Andrew Cuomo, who was the governor of New York at the time, was the subject of news reports after his former aide Lindsey Boylan alleged that the politician sexually harassed her for years. In her statement, Boylan said Andrew kissed and touched her without consent and at one point invited her to play strip poker. In the months following, more women came forward, accusing Andrew of sexual misconduct and harassment. Andrew resigned as governor in Aug. 2021.

In Dec. 2021, CNN released a statement that Chris had been suspended, and he was later terminated. According to the network, the decision was made after it came to light that Chris aided his brother in fighting the sexual harassment allegations against him. New York Attorney General Letitia James had documentation from the investigation into Andrew that Chris sought information about his brother’s accusers and was involved in coming up with the best way to deal with the charges. He also acknowledged contacting other journalists to find out more about the women who spoke against Andrew. However, he denied using his position to influence CNN’s reporting on the subject matter.

In Sept. 2021, just months before getting fired, Chris was also accused of sexual harassment by a former executive producer at ABC. In an op-ed for The New York Times, Shelley Ross wrote that during a going-away party in 2005, Chris squeezed her buttocks and said, “I can do this now that you’re no longer my boss.” An hour after the incident, Chris apologized by way of a note, which in part read, “As a husband, I can empathize with not like to see my wife patted as such. So pass along my apology to your very good and noble husband. And I apologize to you as well, for even putting you in such a position.”

Where is Chris Cuomo now?

Chris Cuomo sent CNN a $125 million demand for arbitration in 2022 for his wrongful termination. The complaint stated the network’s “efforts to destroy his reputation” cost him the wages owed in the remainder of his contract, as well as future wages lost due to the termination, which “had his journalistic integrity unjustifiably smeared.”

In a 2023 interview with Anthony Scaramucci in his podcast Open Book with Anthony Scaramucci, Chris opened up about what he felt after being fired from CNN. He said he had to come to terms with his firing, as he was “going to kill everybody including myself” but is in therapy for his mental health. Chris has since anchored a new show, Cuomo, on NewsNation, but hasn’t found the same success as he did during his time with CNN. He also has his own podcast, The Chris Cuomo Project, which he launched in July 2022.