Chris Cuomo Departs SiriusXM Show After His Dismissal From CNN
Former CNN anchor Chris Cuomo announced Monday he will be leaving his SiriusXM program, “Let’s Get After It.”
“The way my time ended at CNN was hard,” he said in a statement, referencing his firing over the weekend. “While I have a thick skin, I also have a family, for whom the past week has been extraordinarily difficult. So, right now, I have to take a step back and focus on what comes next. That means I will no longer be doing my SiriusXM radio show.”
He went on, “I am extremely grateful for the support I have received from SiriusXM throughout my time there. I also want to express my sincere appreciation for my loyal listeners. I will miss our conversations a great deal — but I look forward to being back in touch with you all in the future.”
A representative for the radio platform told TheWrap, “Following Chris Cuomo’s statement that he is leaving his SiriusXM show, ‘Let’s Get After It’ will no longer air. We thank Chris for his work at SiriusXM.” Cuomo did not host his radio show Monday and Brian Ross filled in for him.
Cuomo was fired Saturday amid an investigation into his involvement in advising his brother, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, during the onslaught of sexual harassment accusations against the politician. Chris Cuomo was suspended by CNN last week as the network undertook an investigation.
“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. We retained a respected law firm to conduct the review, and have terminated him, effective immediately,” the cable news company said in a statement. “While in the process of that review, additional information has come to light. Despite the termination, we will investigate as appropriate.”
In his own statement on Saturday, Cuomo said, “This is not how I want my time at CNN to end but I have already told you why and how I helped my brother. So let me now say as disappointing as this is, I could not be more proud of the team at ‘Cuomo Prime Time’ and the work we did as CNN’s #1 show in the most competitive time slot. I owe them all and will miss that group of special people who did really important work.”
Cuomo now faces an accusation of sexual misconduct. Debra Katz, an attorney representing Andrew Cuomo accuser Charlotte Bennett, told The New York Times that she had contacted CNN on Wednesday about another client with an accusation of misconduct by Chris Cuomo. Katz did not detail the accusations by the woman, described as a “junior colleague” at another network, but said they were “unrelated to the Gov. Andrew Cuomo matter.”
A CNN rep acknowledged that the new accusation might have played a role in the network’s decision to expedite Cuomo’s ouster. “Based on the report we received regarding Chris’s conduct with his brother’s defense, we had cause to terminate,” a rep said. “When new allegations came to us this week, we took them seriously, and saw no reason to delay taking immediate action.”