‘It hurts to even say it, it’s embarassing’ says Chris Cuomo about indefinite suspension from CNN

Embattled CNN anchor Chris Cuomo addressed his suspension on his radio show Wednesday, his first public comment since CNN made the announcement.

"Hey everybody, it’s Chris Cuomo, let’s get after it, quick note, the obvious, I’ve been suspended from CNN," Cuomo said to begin his show on SiriusXM, “Let’s Get After It.”

Cuomo is the host of “Cuomo Prime Time,” CNN’s highest rated show.

"You know this already. It hurts to even say it, it’s embarrassing, but I understand it and I understand why some people feel the way they do about what I did," Cuomo continued. "I’ve apologized in the past and I mean it, it’s the last thing I ever wanted to do was compromise any of my colleagues and do anything but help."

“I know they have a process that they think is important and I respect that process, so I’m not going to talk about this anymore than that,” Cuomo concluded before moving on to the rest of his radio show.

Chris Cuomo’s ‘indefinite' suspension from CNN

CNN suspended primetime anchor Chris Cuomo on Tuesday following revelations he had used his journalistic skills and resources to defend his brother, former NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo, from sexual harassment allegations.

State Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, had released documents subpoenaed for Andrew Cuomo’s sexual harassment trial a day before that revealed to what extent to which Chris had been involved in his older brother’s defense.

Cell phone records showed that Chris Cuomo had been in regular contact with his brother’s then-top adviser, Melissa DeRosa, regarding what he had heard from his industry sources regarding additional accusers who had not yet come forward.

“I have a lead on the wedding girl,” reads one text from Cuomo to DeRosa. The “wedding girl” refers to Anna Ruch, who was photographed visibly nervous as Andrew Cuomo held both sides of her face at a wedding reception.

“The documents, which we were not privy to before their public release, raise serious questions,” said CNN in a statement.

“When Chris admitted to us that he had offered advice to his brother’s staff, he broke our rules and we acknowledged that publicly. But we also appreciated the unique position he was in and understood his need to put family first and job second,” the statement continues. “However, these documents point to a greater level of involvement in his brother’s efforts than we previously knew.”

How Chris Cuomo became entangled in his brother’s scandals

CNN had been criticized for allowing Chris Cuomo to host his brother nine times on his show last year due to the conflict of interest of interviewing family members. Andrew Cuomo’s appearance on the show led to a surge in popularity that resulted in a book deal about COVID leadership and whispers of a future Presidential run.

CNN reinstated its ban on Andrew Cuomo covering his brother after reports emerged the Cuomo administration had been underreporting data on COVID-19 fatalities in nursing homes.

Tom Jones, senior media reporter for Poynter, called it “a bad look for CNN.”

“[CNN] allowed Chris Cuomo to interview Gov. Cuomo when Gov. Cuomo looked good,” Jones said. “But now that Gov. Cuomo is under fire, Chris Cuomo is saying nothing. It just reinforces that allowing Chris to interview Andrew early in the COVID-19 story was a rotten call.”

The scandals began to snowball for the then-NY governor when a former aide, Lindsey Boylan, came forward with sexual harassment allegations against him. Two others come forward with their own claims before Andrew Cuomo agrees to appoint an independent investigator in February, but maintained he “never touched anyone inappropriately” as more women came forward. 

On Aug. 3, Attorney General James announces the investigation found Cuomo had sexually harassed 11 women.

Andrew Cuomo announced his resignation as the New York Assembly moved forward with impeachment proceedings. His last day in office was Aug. 23.