The news that CNN had indefinitely suspended Chris Cuomo broke shortly before the broadcast evening newscasts went live at 6:30 p.m. Eastern early Tuesday night. And the only on-air mention of the move that day came in a less-than-one-minute notation from host Anderson Cooper moments before Cuomo Prime Time would normally air and announcing a second hour of his show, AC360, would be taking over the timeslot.
Turning away from Zoom masturbator and chief legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin, Cooper announced at the start of the 56-second brief that he had “[s]ome news now about this network. It involves Chris Cuomo, the host of Cuomo Prime Time.”
“New documents released this week indicated that Chris was more intimately involved than previously known in helping his brother, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo craft a defense amid a flurry of sexual misconduct allegations,” he added.
From there, Cooper simply read from the Jeff Zucker-approved CNN statement, describing it as coming from an unnamed spokesperson:
Here’s a statement released tonight from a CNN spokesperson. Quote, “The New York attorney general's office released transcripts and exhibits Monday that shed new light on Chris Cuomo's involvement in his brother's defense. The documents, which we were not privy to before their public release, raised serious questions.”
The spokesperson continued, quote, “When Chris admitted to us he had offered advice to his brother's staff he broke our rules and we acknowledged that publicly, but we also appreciated the position he was in and his need to put family first and his job second. However, these documents point to a greater level of involvement in his brother's efforts than we previously knew.”
The spokesperson added, “As a result, we have suspended Chris indefinitely, pending further evaluation.”
“The second hour of 360 is right after the break,” he concluded.
The excitement generated by Cuomo’s suspension might be tempered by the fact that Cooper read that statement while seated next to Toobin, who managed to return from his own indefinite suspension.
On the other end of the Cuomo’s former hour, Cooper’s apparent attempt to keep the tradition of friendly banter with CNN host Don Lemon fell flat:
AWKWARD: In place of the usual banter that would accompany Chris Cuomo's handoff to his buddy Don Lemon, Anderson Cooper pitches to him like he was getting ready for Don to reply. Instead, there's a fade to black and a breaking news announcement. pic.twitter.com/aP6WWQptxE
— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) December 1, 2021
On Monday night, CNN made it seem as though they would be sticking with Cuomo despite his flagrant disregard for journalistic ethics. Lemon even shared some encouraging words with his close friend. “I am grateful for your friendship and you’re love. I think you are fantastic, one of the kindest people I know on this planet. And there you go. I meant every word,” he said.
In hindsight, it kind of seems like Lemon was saying goodbye.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360
November 30, 2021
8:55:13 p.m. EasternANDERSON COOPER: Some news now about this network. It involves Chris Cuomo, the host of Cuomo Prime Time. New documents released this week indicated that Chris was more intimately involved than previously known in helping his brother, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo craft a defense amid a flurry of sexual misconduct allegations.
Here’s a statement released tonight from a CNN spokesperson. Quote, “The New York attorney general's office released transcripts and exhibits Monday that shed new light on Chris Cuomo's involvement in his brother's defense. The documents, which we were not privy to before their public release, raised serious questions.”
The spokesperson continued, quote, “When Chris admitted to us he had offered advice to his brother's staff he broke our rules and we acknowledged that publicly, but we also appreciated the position he was in and his need to put family first and his job second. However, these documents point to a greater level of involvement in his brother's efforts than we previously knew.”
The spokesperson added, “As a result, we have suspended Chris indefinitely, pending further evaluation.”
The second hour of 360 is right after the break.
