Chris Cuomo shared Monday that he quit his SiriusXM radio show after being fired by CNN over an ethics scandal and new allegations of sexual misconduct.
‘The way my time ended at CNN was hard,’ Cuomo said in a statement posted to Twitter on Monday. ‘While I have thick skin, I also have a family, for whom the past week has been extraordinarily difficult.’
Cuomo, the younger brother of former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, was accused of journalistic misconduct for advising his brother as sexual assault allegations piled up against him.
‘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,’ Cuomo wrote, adding that he is ‘grateful’ for the support from his ‘loyal listeners.
Cuomo was absent from Monday’s Sirius show, with Law and Crime correspondent Brian Ross filling in.
He began hosting ‘Let’s Get After It’ on SiriusXM in 2018, the same year CNN moved him from co-hosting its morning show ‘New Day’ to his primetime slot, where he led ‘Cuomo Prime Time.
The news comes as CNN braces for a legal battle with Cuomo, the New York Post reported Monday.
Cuomo has allegedly hired lawyers and will file a suit against the media company if they don’t honor the remainder of his four-year contract he signed last year, according to the Post.
The deal is reportedly worth $6 million annually.
Cuomo’s firing from CNN on Saturday came four days after the company suspended him, saying they needed to further evaluate his involvement with the former governor’s office and response to his brother’s ongoing sexual misconduct scandal.
CNN said in a statement: ‘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.’
In a statement of his own 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.’
A few hours after CNN’s announcement of his termination, the New York Times reported that a lawyer, Debra Katz, had on Wednesday told CNN of an allegation of sexual misconduct made against Chris Cuomo by a client of hers.
The client is ‘a former junior colleague [of Cuomo’s] at another network’ the attorney said, adding the client wished to remain anonymous.
A spokesperson for Cuomo has denied the most recent allegations, saying ‘These apparently anonymous allegations are not true.’
The producers and other staffers who work on ‘Cuomo Prime Time’ will remain in place. Michael Smerconish, Cuomo’s regular substitute, will host the nightly show.
‘Following Chris Cuomo’s statement that he is leaving his SiriusXM show, Let’s Get After It will no longer air,’ SiriusXM said in a statement. ‘We thank Chris for his work at SiriusXM.’
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