Chris Cuomo apologized to his CNN colleagues on-air over news he coached his brother, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, through sexual-harassment allegations
The Washington Post reported that Chris Cuomo advised his brother on sexual-harassment allegations.
Shortly after the report was published, Cuomo apologized on-air to his CNN colleagues.
Cuomo said he'd put them "in a bad spot" and was "sorry for that."
The CNN host Chris Cuomo publicly apologized to his colleagues after a Washington Post report found that he had coached his older brother, Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York, on how to respond to sexual-harassment allegations.
On "Cuomo Prime Time" on Thursday night, shortly after the report was published, Cuomo said: "There are stories out there about me offering my brother advice. Of course I do. This is no revelation. I have said it publicly, and I certainly have never hidden it.
"I can be objective about just about any topic, but not about my family. Those of you who watch this show get it. Like you, I bet, my family means everything to me. And I am fiercely loyal to them. I am family first, job second."
-Cuomo Prime Time (@CuomoPrimeTime) May 21, 2021
Cuomo said, however, that his roles as both a journalist and a brother to a politician posed a "unique challenge."
"When my brother's situation became turbulent, being looped into calls with other friends of his and advisors that did include some of his staff, I understand why that was a problem for CNN," he said. "It will not happen again.
"It was a mistake because I put my colleagues here, who I believe are the best in the business, in a bad spot. I never intended for that, I would never intend for that, and I am sorry for that."
Several women accused the elder Cuomo earlier this year of sexual harassment, which he has repeatedly disputed. The New York attorney general's office and state assembly are investigating the claims.
Chris Cuomo also said he had never tried to influence the network's coverage of his brother and was "walled off" from it.
CNN also told The Post on Thursday that he had not been involved in the network's coverage of the governor but that it was "inappropriate" for Cuomo to join conversations with the governor's staff and that this would not happen again.
It also said he would not face discipline over those calls.
Andrew Cuomo faces a series of scandals about his time in office, including his administration's handling of nursing-home deaths last summer, "structural safety" issues on a bridge named after his father, and reports that his friends and family members were given priority testing early in the coronavirus pandemic.
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