CNN hosts blame Chris Cuomo for outing Jeff Zucker's illicit affair with staffer
CNN's President Jeff Zucker announced on February 2, 2022, that he was resigning from the company, over his illicit affair with colleague Allison Gollust. It appears that not everyone is happy with the move, such as hosts Alisyn Camerota and Brian Stelter. Hours after Zucker's announcement, the two defended him in statements, while slamming their former colleague Chris Cuomo for the situation.
It's believed Cuomo knew about Zucker and Gollust's affair, which he used as leverage to prevent his firing from the company after he was accused of sexual misconduct. Since he was fired though, Camerota and Stelter have accused him of leaking the affair, which led to Zucker deciding to step down. It is believed Cuomo is targeting Zucker's personal life in order to get the remainder of his contract money from CNN, estimated to be about $18 million.
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In multiple interviews, CNN staffers have revealed just how they feel about the situation, and clearly, no one is happy with the way things have played out. If there's only one thing that makes people even angrier, it's the appointment of Michael Bass to Zucker's role. "It's such a boys club and an absolute joke," one staffer said about the decision.
'People are pissed'
After Zucker announced his resignation, one CNN executive told The Daily Beast, "People are pissed. No one thinks the punishment fits the crime." Ana Navarro added, "He steadfastly defended me and others the network who were targets of Trump even when it was hard and brought consequences. I love the guy." Camerota told The Beast, "We are all devastated. Jeff is beloved here. We all know we’ll never find a smarter or more compassionate boss."
Zucker and Gollust were reportedly involved together for years, but never disclosed their relationship to the company. Zucker confirmed as much in his statement, saying, "I acknowledged the relationship evolved in recent years. I was required to disclose it when it began but I didn’t. I was wrong." Staffers though have acknowledged that the relationship between Zucker and Gollust was widespread knowledge, at least internally. "Everyone has known it but he still denied it," one person told The Daily Mail, while another called it, "the worst kept secret inside the building." It is believed the affair played a role in Zucker's own divorce, back in 2018. For now, at least, Gollust will remain at CNN, but it appears the damage is already done.
Cuomo goes after Zucker
While staffers mourned the announcement, they also seemed extremely angry at how it came about. "Notice Zucker mentioned how this came from the Cuomo investigation. People think this is clearly Cuomo dragging down Zucker on his way out," one source added. Stelter was less subtle in his criticism, saying, "Chris Cuomo is not going out quietly. He was trying to burn the place down." Many believe Cuomo knew about the affair and used that knowledge to prevent his firing from CNN. But now that he's been forced out, it appears Cuomo is taking extreme measures.
In early December, we reported that Cuomo planned to sue CNN after Zucker refused to pay out the remaining three years of his contract. As part of that lawsuit, Cuomo's team is saying it is hypocritical for Zucker to fire Cuomo for a "conflict of interest" when he himself has one in his relationship with Gollust. Cuomo's lawyers are also demanding that CNN preserve all communications between Zucker, Gollust, and Cuomo likely for the impending trial.
With their relationship out there, many including Donald Trump Jr., Megyn Kelly, and others have attacked CNN for attempting to keep the relationship a secret, while others have slammed the culture at CNN. The fallout is only expected to get worse as Cuomo's case continues to build, and could likely reveal more about the internal culture at CNN.