Source: Steve Watson
Social media users wasted no time in mocking Chris Cuomo after CNN fired the star anchor for trying to help his older brother Andrew Cuomo fight off a sexual harassment scandal earlier this year.
Bye Felicia… pic.twitter.com/KihkmjKNfV
— Catturd ™ (@catturd2) December 4, 2021
Chris Cuomo’s speedy demise was met by an equally quick reaction from the many right-wing detractors of CNN’s highest-rated anchor, who was often saddled with the nickname Fredo – the weak brother of Michael Corleone in the classic Godfather movies.
Uh oh. #fredo pic.twitter.com/174ootEskd
— Nick Boris (@NicholasBoris) December 1, 2021
One online jokester, going by the Twitter handle @seth_3333, posted a gif of an iconic scene from The Godfather II where the Al Pacino-played gangster gives his brother Fredo the ‘kiss of death’ after learning of the latter’s treachery against the Corleone crime family, and was accompanied by the caption ‘You broke my heart.’
CNN announced Saturday that the Cuomo PrimeTime host was ‘terminated’ after suspending him on Tuesday.
‘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,’ the network’s statement began.
The announcement went on to reveal that CNN had enlisted an outside law firm to look into how exactly Cuomo aided his brother, then the governor of New York, before sexual assault allegations from 1 woman spurred the politician to resign in August to avoid a likely impeachment trial.
According to the network, the firm found ‘additional information’ through their investigation that incriminated the newscaster, 51, spurring execs to ‘terminate him, effective immediately.
Cuomo joined CNN as a field anchor in February 2013 following stints at ABC and Fox News. After rising through the ranks, he was tapped in March 2018 to host Cuomo Prime Time.
According to some estimates, Cuomo had an annual salary of $6million.
His 9 pm show was CNN’s highest-rated broadcast. It drew an average of 774,000 viewers during November when it ranked No. 25 among all cable TV news programs – right behind Anderson Cooper’s show.
However, the network saw a 19 percent bump after Cuomo was suspended Tuesday and Cooper filled in. The network has not indicated who will be his permanent replacement.
