Former CNN anchor Chris Cuomo thinks that the cable news giant should pay him $125 million in damages for wrongful termination. The network fired Cuomo in December following egregious ethical violations, but the disgraced host said that he wasn’t doing anything out of the ordinary.
The network fired the former Cuomo Primetime host following an inquiry into his efforts to help his brother, former New York governor Andrew Cuomo, who was accused of sexual harassment.
Cuomo, who hosted the network's most popular primetime show, maintained that he was transparent with the network about his role in assisting his brother to fight sexual harassment allegations. He says he had “no reason to believe” that this violated the network’s policies.
“It should be obvious by now that Chris Cuomo did not lie to CNN about helping his brother,” Cuomo's lawyer, Bryan Freedman said. “In fact, as the limited information released from Warner Media’s investigation makes clear, CNN’s highest-level executives not only knew about Chris’ involvement in helping his brother but also actively assisted the governor, both through Chris and directly themselves.”
Cuomo alleges that during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the network demanded that he interview his brother, even though both of them had expressed reservations about doing so.
Furthermore, Cuomo claims that network head Jeff Zucker pressured the governor not to appear on rival networks and to hold his daily press briefings at times that were convenient to CNN.
“Network standards were changed in a calculated decision to boost ratings,” Cuomo’s lawyer said. “When those practices were called into question, Chris was made the scapegoat."
Cuomo's attorney's also argued that CNN favorites like Don Lemon and Jake Trapper also potentially violated the network's ethical policies but were not punished for doing so. They claimed that as long as ratings weren't hurt network heads were "more than willing to overlook major transgressions by CNN personalities.”
If the allegations are true, they are an appalling violation of journalistic ethics by any measure.
The $125 million that Cuomo is seeking is far more than the $18 million he had remaining on his contract. However, the damages the disgraced anchor is asking for are likely to cover future lost wages. The host has squandered his journalistic integrity and is unlikely to find another hosting gig.
Cuomo earned $6 million annually in his role as host of Cuomo Prime Time and has amassed a net worth of roughly $12 million during his 8-year tenure at the network.
Source: The Guardian, Reuters