Clearing the airwaves. Chris Cuomo is addressing his network’s coverage of the sexual harassment allegations against his brother, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.
The CNN journalist opened Monday’s episode of Cuomo Prime Time with remarks addressing the allegations, and the fact that he won’t be reporting on the story due to the conflict of interest involved.
“Before we start tonight, let me say something that I’m sure is very obvious to you who watch my show — and thank you for that. You’re straight with me, I’ll be straight with you.” Chris said. “Obviously, I’m aware of what’s going on with my brother. And obviously, I cannot cover it because he is my brother.”
“Now, of course, CNN has to cover it. They have covered it extensively and they will continue to do so,” he added. “I have always cared very deeply about these issues, and profoundly so. I just wanted to tell you that. There’s a lot of news going on that matters also, so let’s get after that.”
>> @ChrisCuomo at the top of @CuomoPrimeTime tonight: "Obviously I am aware of what is going on with my brother. And obviously I cannot cover it because he is my brother. Now, of course CNN has to cover it. They have covered it extensively and they will continue to do so." pic.twitter.com/G49mZYTG4D
The remarks come after the governor was accused by multiple women over the past week of inappropriate behavior in the workplace. Andrew released a statement over the weekend denying the allegations.
The sexual harassment allegations against the governor come on the heels of another scandal involving COVID-19-related nursing home deaths being undercounted and unreported — another story Chris was unable to cover due to CNN reinstating their previous rule that the journalist isn’t allowed to cover the politician.
While Chris previously had his sibling on his show, early in the COVID-19 pandemic, the network made it clear late last month that it was an exception to its rules concerning conflicts of interest.
“The early months of the pandemic crisis were an extraordinary time,” a CNN spokesperson told ET in a statement. “We felt that Chris speaking with his brother about the challenges of what millions of American families were struggling with was of significant human interest. As a result, we made an exception to a rule that we have had in place since 2013 which prevents Chris from interviewing and covering his brother, and that rule remains in place today. CNN has covered the news surrounding Governor Cuomo extensively.”
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