Former New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo, who resigned after being accused of sexual harassment, was withdrawn Tuesday, August 24 from the Emmy who had rewarded his televised briefings during the first months of the pandemic.
The Democrat, in office since 2011, had acquired in 2020 a national star status with his daily press briefings, deemed rational and reassuring, unlike Donald Trump whose announcements on the health crisis were seen as erratic.
His performances were praised by the Television Academy, which awarded him an Emmy. But the Academy announced Tuesday, the day after Andrew Cuomo left the governor’s residence in Albany, that it was removing the statuette from him.
11 harassed women
“The International Academy announced today that in light of the New York prosecutor’s report, followed by Andrew Cuomo’s resignation as governor, she is withdrawing her 2020 Special Emmy award from him.”, she said in a statement.
The 168-page report, released in early August, concluded that Andrew Cuomo had sexually harassed eleven women, most of them collaborators and employees, listing many inappropriate gestures or attitudes.
The governor has always rejected these accusations. But under pressure from calls to resign from his own political camp, including President Biden, he announced on August 10 that he would step down. Andrew Cuomo was replaced on Tuesday by Kathy Hochul, also a Democrat. She became the first woman to serve as governor of New York State.