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Will CNN fire Chris Cuomo? Host accused of behaving unethically in Andrew Cuomo's sex scandal

CNN host Chris Cuomo is being slammed for 'unethical' journalism and for helping brother Andrew Cuomo draft statements in the sex harassment case

CNN management allegedly advised Chris Cuomo, the network's top primetime anchor, to take a break from his program to assist his brother, Democratic New York Governor Andrew Cuomo amid mounting controversies, news outlets revealed on Wednesday, August 4.

The CNN host is also facing growing pressure to resign after assisting his brother in responding to sexual harassment allegations while ignoring the issue on television. New York Attorney General Letitia James recently revealed how an investigation into Andrew found he sexually harassed several current and former employees, as well as previously unknown members of the public.

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Earlier this year, the NY governor was accused of sexual harassment and several women came forward to talk about it publicly. One of them was Charlotte Bennett, his ex-aide who claimed the governor asked her “questions about her sex life, whether she was monogamous in her relationships and if she had ever had sex with older men”. Bennett, 25, resigned from the governor's office in November 2020 and said the harassment had started in spring during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

The show 'Prime Time with Chris Cuomo' premiered on Tuesday night at 9 pm, following 24-hour coverage by every major news station of New York Attorney General Letitia James' investigation into the TV news show host's brother, which Chris ignored entirely, the Daily Mail reported. 

Will CNN fire Chris Cuomo?

Outraged fans and media commentators have been asking for his resignation or firing from CNN, claiming that there is an obvious conflict of interest that can no longer be overlooked, the news outlet stated. CNN did not reply to demands for comment on Wednesday, August 4, afternoon and it has made no public statements on the situation. The NY governor was nowhere to be seen when he was instead supposed to be making a statement regarding Covid. However, protesters gathered outside his Albany residence, and at the gates of the Executive Mansion to demand that he step down.

The AG's investigation listed Chris, who earns $5 million a year at CNN, as one of Andrew's advisers and detailed how he assisted Andrew in drafting statements in response to 11 women's claims. According to them, he wanted to make sure he sounded 'contrite' enough. According to media pundits, Chris' behavior has been unethical, and his generally improper working relationship with his brother has to cease.

"The idea that it was fine for Chris Cuomo to 'interview' and 'report on' his brother-Governor when his brother was popular -- but now cannot utter a word about his serious scandals -- is obviously pitiful," said journalist and lawyer Glenn Greenwald. "CNN wallowed in unethical journalism and is now stuck in this corner," he added. "If CNN, from the start, had just said: Chris Cuomo cannot objectively report on his brother and therefore will abstain and others will do it, that would have been fine. Instead, they cheered as he heaped praise on his brother and touted him as a future President."

Chris Cuomo taking a 'temporary leave'?

The New York Times reported on Wednesday, August 4, that officials "floated the notion" of Chris taking a "temporary leave" earlier this year while his brother faced several issues, including sexual misconduct allegations. The proposal was "informal and strictly optional — not a request," according to unidentified CNN sources, which Chris reportedly opted not to execute. According to the New York Times, Chris will take a "long-planned vacation" next week.

Fox News reported Chris previously apologized to his CNN coworkers for placing them in a "bad spot" and recognized that he was in a "unique and difficult situation" as the brother of the nation's most powerful governor and CNN's top anchor, but he claimed, "I know where the line is."

"The lack of professional standards was appalling during the early days of COVID coverage when Chris routinely had the governor on his program to show off about Andrew's handling of COVID, bash Trump and do comedy sketches," said DePauw University journalism professor and media critic Jeffrey McCall. "CNN should have never let Chris cover his brother for either good or bad news, and only decided to prohibit such coverage once the governor's news became all bad."

'Chris Cuomo is ignoring the Andrew Cuomo story'

People on Twitter shared their views. Media columnist Joe Concha wrote: "Anchor Chris Cuomo opens his show by attacking Gov. DeSantis instead of addressing the elephant-on-steroids in-the-room that are sexual misconduct allegations against his brother governor. Not sure CNN understands what this activist playing an anchor is doing to its credibility". "Chris Cuomo is ignoring the Andrew Cuomo story. CNN is not a news network," said another. "CNN’s Chris Cuomo running cover for his powerful brother amid sexual harassment allegations is why so many women do not come forward. There should be a price to pay for this. #FireFredo," a third chimed in.