NEWSChris Cuomo Was Axed From CNN After Network Learned Of Alleged Sexual Attack On ABC Employee: Report
Feb. 16 2022, Published 10:34 a.m. ET
New details have emerged regarding Chris Cuomo's firing from CNN.
The news anchor was dropped from the network in December 2021 following reports that he tried covering up his brother and former NY governor Andrew Cuomo's sexual assault allegations.
However, it later came to light that Chris had been accused of sexual misconduct just days before his termination — and now more of the story has been revealed.
As reported by the New York Times, attorney Debra S. Katz issued a letter to CNN at the time to relay claims made by a woman who alleged Chris attacked her while she was a young temp employee at ABC in 2011.
According to the report, the woman under the name of Jane Doe was allegedly invited to have lunch with Chris — who was an anchor at the time — to discuss career advice, but when she arrived, there was no food in sight.
Instead, Chris allegedly harassed her to have sex with him and attacked her when she declined, causing her to run out of the room, per the outlet. However, because she was still hoping for a full-time job at the network, she tried to remedy the situation with friendly emails to Chris later that day.
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It wasn't until years later when Chris reportedly tried contacting her out of the blue to arrange a CNN segment featuring her public relations company, which conveniently was right around the time when the #MeToo movement was at its height.
"After years without any substantive communication from Mr. Cuomo whatsoever, Ms. Doe suspected he was concerned about her coming forward publicly with her allegations and wanted to use the proposed segment as an opportunity to ‘test the waters’ and discourage her from going on the record about his sexual misconduct,” Katz wrote, per the outlet.
Katz reportedly added that the woman has been "deeply traumatized" by the ordeal and doesn't want to become "a pawn in an internecine war between Zucker, Chris Cuomo and CNN."
"She deserves and requests privacy," the lawyer added.
A spokesperson for Cuomo, Steven Goldberg, has since shut down the claims made in Katz's letter, dubbing the allegations against his client as "false."
"He was never asked about the allegations prior to being terminated or given any opportunity to respond," Goldberg added, according to the publication.
