Chris Cuomo Discloses Alarming Details About His Frame Of Mind After CNN Exit

The following article includes allegations of sexual harassment and mentions thoughts of suicide and violence.

CNN's focus is on politics, not scandals, which is why the network decided to fire long-time anchor Chris Cuomo. Chris became the center of attention on CNN due to his involvement in the case of his brother, Andrew Cuomo. In 2021, the former governor of New York resigned due to accusations of sexually harassing multiple women, which he denied. As his brother, Chris Cuomo came to Andrew Cuomo's defense to a greater extent than he disclosed to CNN.

According to NPR, in late November 2021, documents were released showing that Chris had "actively" defended his brother and even helped with "strategizing" for Andrew. After the shocking documents were released, Cuomo was suspended from CNN "indefinitely," per CNN. The statement from the network said, "When Chris admitted to us that he had offered advice to his brother's staff, he broke our rules and we acknowledged that publicly ... However, these documents point to a greater level of involvement in his brother's efforts than we previously knew." It didn't take long for the network to evaluate his position with CNN, and just a couple of days after the suspension, CNN decided to fire Cuomo altogether.

Following his departure, Chris spoke publicly about the incident, per CNN. Chris 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." The statement made it seem like the journalist had a good head on his shoulders, but it turns out, there was more going on behind the scenes.

Losing a job can be difficult for a person in many ways, including mentally. After Chris Cuomo came to Andrew Cuomo's defense, CNN decided to fire the journalist, and it took a toll on his well-being, he revealed on the "Open Book with Anthony Scaramucci" podcast. "I had to accept [my firing] because I was going to kill everybody, including myself. Things can consume you."

The journalist then shared he has "made a lot of mistakes" and knew that he had to work on himself in therapy to move past them. Cuomo said, "There is damage that is relatable, there is damage that is unrelatable to people that I have to deal with, that I am working on." However, he is still human, and sometimes things remain difficult for him.

Cuomo landed a job with NewsNation after he departed from CNN, however, NewsNation is not as popular amongst the masses as CNN. Cuomo revealed that he was somewhat "embarrassed" by his NewsNation viewership, which is slightly over 60,000. His viewers are a fraction of those who watched him on CNN, which got over a million people watching a night, per Page Six. Cuomo said, "It's hard to keep perspective on that because it's kind of embarrassing. I will never be [No. 1] again." Although the journalist may sometimes reflect on the past, he's doing his best to move forward with his life and his new career.

If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline​ by dialing 988 or by calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255)​.

Chris Cuomo hinted at how his CNN firing affected him on the January 16 episode of the "No BS Newshour" podcast. "I am emotionally and psychologically beat up, and changed by what I went through," he stated. He went on to say how the media, as well as not knowing that the firing was happening, has affected his personal life. "I am a different person now," he said, adding that the way he reports the news isn't necessarily different. "I'm coming from a place where I am so hunted." He then mentioned that he has been receiving threats from people for money.

While Cuomo was at CNN, his show was reportedly the most-watched show on the network, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. So when the news reporter started working at the fairly new NewsNation, his viewership dropped drastically. And although Cuomo is determined to make the news organization more popular in time, he's still pushing to make things right with CNN.

In March 2022, Deadline reported that the news anchor was asking CNN to pay him more than $125 million, as he believed the firing damaged his reputation and hindered his ability to work with other news organizations. "As a result of Turner's indefensible choice to unceremoniously fire him, Cuomo has been damaged in countless ways," his law firm said in a statement. "Cuomo has had his journalistic integrity unjustifiably smeared."