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CNN host Chris Cuomo, who has been suspended indefinitely following the release of his testimony regarding his role in assisting former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo during his sexual harassment scandal, addressed his suspension briefly during his show on SiriusXM radio.
During his show, the 51-year-old Chris Cuomo called the suspension “embarrassing,” while CNN continues to assess what role he played in helping the former governor navigate his way through multiple scandals that ultimately led to his resignation.
"It hurts to even say it. It’s embarrassing," Chris Cuomo said. "But I understand it. And I understand why some people feel the way they do about what I did. I’ve apologized in the past, and I mean it."
“It’s the last thing I ever wanted to do, was compromise any of my colleagues,” he continued. “I know they have a process that they think is important. I respect that process, so I’m not going to talk about this any more than that.”
On Tuesday, Nov. 30, Cuomo's first day of suspension, Anderson Cooper filled in as the host of “Cuomo Prime Time,” while the network aired a COVID-19 special during Cuomo’s normal 9 p.m. time slot on Wednesday, Dec. 1, also hosted by Cooper.
According to reports, Cooper is expected to fill in for the rest of the week and that CNN is still formulating a plan for what to do if Cuomo’s suspension lasts beyond that, pending the investigation.
In her media column for The Washington Post, Margaret Sullivan wrote, “This was not about taking a leave of absence from your job as a teacher, let’s say, to donate a life-saving kidney to your brother. I hope we would all do that.
“No, this was about a high-powered media star using his considerable juice to blunt credible accusations of sexual assault and misconduct against the governor of New York State. Power helping power, in the service of disrupting the investigation of potential crimes.”
The CNN host has come under fire for his role in aiding the former governor during the sexual harassment scandal, including using some of his media sources to get the jump on certain stories that were set to be released prior to his brother's ousting from office in Albany.
“There was going to be an article about my brother. So I'm interested,” he said. "I wasn't going to call the person writing it. I wasn't going to try to influence any of the stories. And we know that that's true because you would have read about it had I. It's not exactly a loyalty-based business.
”If I had tried to influence any of the reporting at CNN or anywhere else, I guarantee you people would know, and so would a lot of others,” Cuomo continued. “So the idea of one reporter calling another to find out about what's coming down the pipe is completely business-as-usual."
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