Chris Cuomo the disgraced television host has recently locked horns with his former employer, CNN, by filing a wrongful termination suit seeking $125 million in damages.
In Cuomo’s court filing he dropped a series of bombshells accusing his former coworkers, colleagues, and supervisors of a long list of ethical violations.
1) Jeff Zucker and Allison Gollust obtained favors from the former Governor of New York
Chris Cuomo’s older brother, Andrew Cuomo, served as the 56th Governor of New York before resigning amid a series of sexual harassment allegations. Chris alleged that Zucker and Gollust abused their relationship with Gov. Cuomo to obtain covid tests during the early stages of the pandemic when tests were not readily available.
2) Jeff Zucker and Allison Gollust advised Gov. Cuomo on how to rebuttal President Donald Trump
Cuomo’s filing alleged that Zucker and Gollust violated journalistic ethics as they “acted as advisors to [Governor] Cuomo … by providing him with talking points and strategies for responding to statements made by then-President Donald Trump.”
3) Jason Kilar allegedly defamed Chris Cuomo
Jason Kilar, the chief executive of Warner Media, CNN’s parent company, allegedly defamed Chris Cuomo when he suggested that he failed to uphold the “highest standards of journalistic integrity at CNN.”
4) Jake Tapper alleged that Chris Cuomo threatened to compromise Jeff Zucker
Chris Cuomo’s coworker at CNN, Jake Tapper, allegedly defamed Cuomo when he accused the former anchor of putting CNN “in a bad spot” and said that he attempted to threaten his boss, Jeff Zucker, by suggesting he might leak damaging information unless he was provided a severance package upon his termination from the company.
5) Jake Tapper provided unethical advice to political candidates
Chris Cuomo alleged that Jake Tapper urged the former congressional candidate from Pennsylvania, Sean Parnell, not to run against an incumbent candidate but find a “safer, more heavily Republican district” to run in.
6) Don Lemon accused Chris Cuomo of unethical conduct
Chris Cuomo’s colleague Don Lemon allegedly defamed Cuomo by claiming that he violated “journalistic standard” was paid “handsomely for it.”
7) Chris Cuomo accused Don Lemon of “flagrant” ethical misconduct
Chris Cuomo accused his colleague Don Lemon of “a flagrant breach of journalistic ethics” when he alerted actor Jussie Smollett via text message that the Chicago Police did not believe the actor’s claims of suffering a racist and homophobic hate crime.
8) Chris Cuomo accused Anderson cooper of defamation
Chris Cuomo said that his colleague at CNN, Anderson Cooper, defamed him by accusing him of breaching ethical standards when he said, “[J]ournalists have strict ethics and strict rules that we are to abide by, and if you don’t abide by them, there are repercussions.”
9) Chris Cuomo accused Brian Stelter of defamation
Cuomo’s filing alleged that Brian Stelter, his colleague at CNN, defamed him by claiming that sources at CNN accused Cuomo of “trying to burn the place down” and that Cuomo “would seek vengeance for his termination.”
10) Chris Cuomo alleges that CNN viewed him as less valuable after his brother resigned from office
The filing attributed accusations against him and his termination in early December of 2021 to the fact that his brother —Andrew Cuomo — resigning from political office lessened his value to the network. The filing states: “Because [Chris] Cuomo was so strongly linked to Gov. Cuomo, whose political standing and corresponding value to CNN had turned dramatically, CNN falselyFormer Fox News anchor Chris Wallace is rumored to fill Chris Cuomo's primetime CNN slot, according to a report. Another possible replacement for the former host of "Cuomo Prime Time" is former MSNBC anchor Brian Williams.
In December, Chris Cuomo was fired by CNN president Jeff Zucker. Cuomo was terminated for allegedly assisting his brother – then-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) – on how to repel sexual harassment allegations made against him.
Zucker suddenly resigned in February, claiming that he hid a romantic relationship with Allison Gollust – CNN's executive vice president. The revelation of the romantic relationship was purportedly discovered during the investigation into Chris Cuomo.
Now, incoming CNN boss Chris Licht will attempt to rebuild the struggling cable news network. His first major decision is determining who will fill the vacant "Cuomo Prime Time" slot.
"Former Fox News anchor Chris Wallace is one name being floated internally to take the key 9 p.m. slot. Javier De Diego, currently the supervising producer on 'The Lead with Jake Tapper,' will become exec producer of Wallace's CNN+ show, it was announced on Monday)," the Daily Beast reported.
"But Licht may look externally to make a splashy new hire," the report suggested. "One name that continues to pop up is Brian Williams, who revived his career at MSNBC before exiting last year and is looking for one final act, according to two people familiar with his thinking. It would be quite the comeback for Williams who has always had his sights set on a nighttime talk show—and who better to orchestrate such a move than Licht, who reworked Stephen Colbert's show and took it to first place in the late-night ratings."
Wallace – a longtime staple of Fox News – abruptly left the network in December to obtain a new position with CNN. The 74-year-old ex-host of "Fox News Sunday" was originally hired to be an anchor for the news network's new subscription platform CNN+ – which will debut in 2022.
"I am thrilled to join CNN+. After decades in broadcast and cable news, I am excited to explore the world of streaming. I look forward to the new freedom and flexibility streaming affords in interviewing major figures across the news landscape—and finding new ways to tell stories,” Wallace said in a statement. “As I embark on this adventure, I am honored and delighted to join Jeff Zucker and his great team. I can’t wait to get started."
Despite the encouraging words of his new home at CNN, there was a report that Wallace was "irate" over the sudden departure of Zucker and was "second-guessing his decision" to leave Fox News.
Even liberal shock jock Howard Stern questioned the career move by Wallace, "People don't want CNN, who the hell's gonna pay for CNN+? I mean are they outta their minds?"
Meanwhile, Brian Williams made his final "11th Hour" broadcast on MSNBC in December.
"After 28 years of peacock logos on much of what I own, it is my choice now to jump without a net into the great unknown. As I do, for the first time in my 62 years, my biggest worry is for my country," Williams signed off in his final monologue.
Williams joined MSNBC after he was booted from NBC's "Nightly News" for exaggerating his exploits.
Another possibility to replace Cuomo is CNN anchor Jake Tapper – who currently hosts his own show on the cable news network from 4 to 6 p.m.
In the prime time cable TV news ratings, CNN has routinely finished in third place behind MSNBC and top networj Fox News.
Last month, Forbes reported:
Now, a review of ratings data compiled by Nielsen shows the internal chaos at the network is mirrored by deep declines in viewership across all day parts — total day and prime time. Through February 15, CNN’s average prime time audience among viewers 25-54—the key demographic valued by advertisers—was just 126,000, representing a 69% drop from the same period one year ago. Among total viewers, the average audience was 534,000, a decline of 68% from 2021.
An explosive new report in Rolling Stone details how former CNN chief Jeff Zucker pulled strings at the network to reward his friends and boost ratings by manipulating the news.
Rolling Stone's Tatiana Siegel spoke to more than 36 sources and obtained text messages exchanged between Zucker, his subordinate and romantic partner Allison Gollust, and disgraced ex-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo that show how Cuomo leveraged his relationship with his former staffer, Gollust, for positive coverage at CNN, while Zucker was more than happy to go along with it to make "great TV."
The report shows how CNN executives grossly violated journalistic ethics, including an example of how Gollust, who ran the network's marketing and communications departments, literally cheered for Cuomo after she secured TV appearances for him to attack former President Donald Trump's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
EXCLUSIVE: Texts & 36 sources tell the true story of how CNN's Jeff Zucker & his cronies manipulated the news.\n\nThat includes *literally* cheerleading for their favorite pols like Andrew Cuomo. As one exec texted the former guv: \u201cCuomo-W. Trump-L.\u201d https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/jeff-zucker-cnn-resign-affair-cuomo-trump-1319698/\u00a0\u2026— Noah Shachtman (@Noah Shachtman) 1647016705
Siegel recounts how on March 28, 2020, Trump spoke to reporters about the possibility of imposing a short-term "quarantine" in New York, New Jersey, and some parts of Connecticut to slow the spread of the coronavirus. "This would be an enforceable quarantine. You know, I’d rather not do it, but we may need it,” Trump said at the time, giving reporters an update after he discussed the measures with Cuomo, who was still the governor at this point.
Later that day, Cuomo was asked about the president's comments during his daily press briefing, and he dismissed what Trump said. “From a medical point of view, I don’t know what you’d be accomplishing,” he told reporters.
But Rolling Stone reveals that after this press conference, Cuomo texted Gollust, his former communications director who was now an executive vice-president at CNN, writing, "Ask Jeff to call me plz," apparently referring to CNN President Jeff Zucker.
While Zucker's representatives told Rolling Stone there's "no record" of a conversation between him and the governor that day, Gollust secured a TV hit for Cuomo on CNN that night, discussing Trump's quarantine proposal.
Cuomo told CNN's audience that a quarantine would cause "chaos and mayhem" in the tri-state area, predicting that it would "paralyze the economy."
Though the governor would later become infamous for imposing some of the strictest COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions in the country, in March 2020 on CNN he argued that Trump's quarantine "would shock the economic markets in a way we’ve never seen before.”
After the segment, Rolling Stone reports Gollust texted Cuomo: "Well done ... Cuomo-W. Trump-L."
In another example of how Gollust acted to benefit Cuomo, Rolling Stone reports that she invited the governor to come on CNN's "New Day" to "squash" a rumor that Trump was preparing to shut down New York City because of the pandemic. In a text message, she reportedly told Cuomo, "I’m pretty sure I stopped being your publicist 8 years ago, but apparently I still am." In another exchange, Cuomo reportedly asked Gollust to critique his performance at a press conference.
A spokeswoman for Gollust called these exchanges, "innocuous, mundane conversations that are being spun into a nefarious tale." But the spokeswoman admitted that Gollust once asked Gov. Cuomo to help her friend push through the city bureacracy to open a birthing center in Manhattan. And she also confirmed that another time Gollust asked Cuomo for a favor involving Billy Joel, who'd once hosted a Cuomo campaign fundraiser. Gollust had reportedly texted Cuomo, “I never ask you for favors, but ...,” to which Cuomo replied, “Yes, u do ask me for favors, and that’s okay. It’s mutual.”
All of this and more happened under Zucker's watch and reportedly with his approval. Rolling Stone details how Zucker enjoyed a close relationship with both Gov. Cuomo and his younger brother Chris Cuomo, a personal friend whom Zucker hired as a CNN anchor starting at $6 million salary. (Both Cuomos have lost their previous jobs amid sexual harassment scandals, though each has denied the respective allegations against them.) Zucker violated CNN's conflict-of-interest protocols to have Chris interview his brother, the governor, all in the pursuit of higher ratings because Andrew Cuomo's star was rising as a possible Democratic challenger to President Donald Trump, Rolling Stone's sources say.
On top of that, Zucker was in a decades-long sexual relationship with Gollust at the same time he was advancing her career at CNN. And Gollust in turn was working to promote Cuomo at the network, sending his preferred topics to CNN producers, just like for the March 2020 interview, according to Rolling Stone.
Rolling Stone suggests the text messages obtained by Rolling Stone are likely to be among the 100,000 texts and email exchanges reviewed by CNN's internal probe into Chris Cuomo's ethics violations. The investigation was completed on Feb. 13. WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar said in a statement the probe was "comprehensive and definitive," and said it had "found violations of Company policies, including CNN’s News Standards and Practices, by Jeff Zucker, Allison Gollust, and Chris Cuomo.”
Zucker left CNN on Feb. 2, 2022, citing his inappropriate affair with Gollust but making no mention of the numerous allegations of serial ethics violations that are now coming to light. Gollust was ousted from CNN on Feb. 15, after the internal probe turned up evidence of her unethical behavior.
Contrary to much of the commentary, very little has changed at CNN since its new Chief Executive Officer Chris Licht took over.
CNN+ is a casualty of the network's identity crisis, which is in and of itself a casualty of our national identity crisis.
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