What The President Of CNN Just Said About Chris Cuomo Is Turning Heads

Though CNN President Jeff Zucker initially defended now-former anchor Chris Cuomo, the CNN chief made an abrupt change after New York Attorney General Letitia James shared details about Cuomo's help to his brother, ex-governor Andrew Cuomo. CNN suspended Cuomo pending further investigation, but after a former ABC junior staffer came forward to accuse the CNN anchor of sexual misconduct, the network fired Chris on December 4.

Fox News reported that until the new information about Chris' advising his brother, Zucker seemed to downplay the anchor's help. After news broke in May that the CNN anchor advised his brother, Zucker told staffers, "There's no one else in Chris' shoes" — but the CNN chief also said there were no "special rules" for Chris and that it "does not excuse his mistake." The Wall Street Journal reported that Zucker told staff that the popular anchor had "made a mistake" in a May town hall but said he wasn't surprised that Chris had talked to his embattled brother. However, sources told The Wall Street Journal that Zucker was "taken by surprise" after reading the attorney general's report and felt that Chris "misled him." However, the new statement Zucker made about Chris is turning heads; it's quite a change!

Jeff Zucker said Chris Cuomo will not be paid severance. The Daily Mail reported that the CNN President talked to staff in a virtual town hall on December 7 that the network won't pay Cuomo severance. Zucker said the CNN anchor was reprimanded in May about advising his brother. A source told Fox News that Zucker said "in hindsight, he may have taken action sooner." The insider source also told Fox News that the CNN staff felt "universal relief" when Cuomo was finally dismissed. According to the source, "That's separate from liking Chris or not liking Chris – it's people feeling that there was a right thing to do, and it was done."

CNN fired Cuomo for working with his older brother, ex-New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in the sexual harassment case against him. CNN executives discovered Chris was leveraging his sources as a journalist to investigate his brother's accusers. Now, the 51-year-old anchor is reportedly considering suing CNN for the balance of his contract, a total of $18 million. The New York Post reported that Chris said Zucker knew he was helping his brother fight the sexual harassment allegations. CNN called Chris' claims "patently false," per the Wall Street Journal.