It was the last stone of the building built by the Cuomo. Chris Cuomo, one of CNN’s star presenters, has been fired ” with immediate effect “, Saturday, December 4, by the American news channel. A dismissal which further tarnishes the reputation of this family, a successful dynasty, whose Italian roots go back to the beginning of the 20th century.e century.
Initially, the journalist was suspended for having closely advised his brother, Andrew Cuomo, former Democratic governor of New York State, accused of harassment and sexual assault. But it emerged that CNN was recently informed that Chris Cuomo was the subject of a questioning by a former colleague for “Inappropriate sexual behavior”. What the presenter refuted through one of his spokespersons.
The fall is dizzying. The story begins with the patriarch, Andrea Cuomo, who arrived in the United States from southern Italy in the 1920s. A poor family with marked ambitions. With the force of the wrist, their son Mario, who died in 2015, climbed the ranks to become the Democratic governor of the State of New York from 1983 to 1994. Of his five children, Andrew, now 64, is the second and Christopher, 51, the latter. A united clan where “Family loyalty was sacrosanct”, describes Michael Shnayerson, biographer of Andrew Cuomo, in his book The Contender (Grand Central Publishing, 2015, untranslated).
A sibling at the top of the bill
Andrew Cuomo’s dream was to land a fourth term as governor of New York State in 2022 – one more than his father. At the start of the pandemic, he had gained national stature with his well-attended, rational and reassuring press conferences, which contrasted with the attitude of the White House, then occupied by Donald Trump. To perfect his image, the politician also had his napkin ring on his younger brother’s talk show, “Cuomo Prime Time”, on CNN.
Arrived on the channel in 2013, the journalist, who had earned his stripes in the field, rose to the top by picking up this daily early evening show. During their interviews, the two brothers did not hesitate to joke together or discuss their mother. A duo that CNN did not hesitate to highlight to increase the audience.
The house of cards fell apart in August, when Andrew Cuomo, accused in a court report of sexual harassment against eleven women, was forced to resign. At the end of October, he was indicted for sexual assault on a former employee.
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