Chris Cuomo drops SiriusXM show after being fired from CNN
Fired CNN anchor Chris Cuomo said he's dropping his SiriusXM radio show, a decision that followed a sexual harassment allegation.
"While I have a thick skin, I also have a family, for whom the past week has been extraordinarily difficult," Cuomo said in a Twitter post Monday. He said he's stepping back to "focus on what comes next."
After the announcement, SiriusXM said that Cuomo's "Let's Get After It" will no longer air and thanked him for his work. The show began in 2018.
The harassment claim against Chris Cuomo became known shortly after CNN cut ties with him. The woman, who has chosen to remain anonymous, took her allegations to CNN on Wednesday through her lawyer, Debra Katz.
Attorney Debra Katz said Sunday her client was the victim of "serious sexual misconduct" by Cuomo and that she had contacted CNN about the woman's allegations on December 1.
Katz did not give any specifics about the alleged behavior which, if it happened, may have occurred before Cuomo joined CNN in 2013. Prior to that, he worked at ABC News, which didn't immediately respond Monday to questions about Cuomo's tenure there.
Chris Cuomo, through a spokesman, has said the harassment claims were untrue. "If the goal in making these false and unvetted accusations was to see Mr. Cuomo punished by CNN, that may explain his unwarranted termination," the spokesman said.
Katz also tied Cuomo's firing to the accusations, saying in a statement that "CNN acted promptly on my client's complaint and fired Mr. Cuomo."
Fired from CNN
Chris Cuomo was criticized for breaching journalism ethics by trying to help his brother Andrew Cuomo deal with his own harassment allegations while serving as New York's governor. He has previously acknowledged involvement in his older brother's response to the allegations, but new documents shed light on his day-to-day communications with a top aide to the governor. CNN had suspended the younger Cuomo after learning that his actions were more extensive than previously thought, then fired him Saturday.
"Chris Cuomo was suspended earlier this week pending further evaluation of new information that came to light about his involvement with his brother's defense," CNN wrote. "We retained a respected law firm to conduct the review, and have terminated him, effective immediately. While in the process of that review, additional information has come to light. Despite the termination, we will investigate as appropriate."
Cuomo has said he was simply trying to help his older brother.
DOJ investigation
The U.S. Department of Justice began a civil inquiry in August into sexual harassment claims made against former Governor Andrew Cuomo, New York officials disclosed Thursday. The exact nature of the inquiry and its current status were unclear.
The office of Gov. Kathy Hochul, who took office when Cuomo resigned in August, said it hired a law firm in October to handle "matters relating to ongoing investigations inherited from the previous administration," and that one of those matters was an investigation by the Justice Department's civil rights division and the U.S. attorney's office in Brooklyn.
In his post Monday, Chris Cuomo said the way his time at CNN ended was "hard." He was grateful for the support he's received from SiriusXM, Cuomo said, thanking his "loyal listeners" and adding that he looks forward to "being back in touch with you all in the future."
