NEWSCNN Shakedown: Chris Cuomo Slams 'Absurd' Claims He's to Blame for Network's Demise
Chris Cuomo was fired from CNN in December 2021.
April 24 2025, Published 3:29 p.m. ET
Chris Cuomo doesn't want fingers pointed at him when it comes to the network he once worked for.
The famed news anchor clapped back after several sources recently accused him of causing CNN president Jeff Zucker to resign following the CEO's relationship with the network's CMO Allison Gollust being exposed more than three years ago.
Chris Cuomo denied being the whistleblower behind Jeff Zucker's relationship scandal.
In response to multiple industry insiders suggesting Cuomo was the whistleblower behind the situation, the television journalist insisted the theory was ridiculous.
"I have many friends from CNN. It was a great place," he said to a news publication in a statement. "The rest of this is absurd and will come out in litigation. If Jeff Zucker or Don Lemon want to have an honest conversation with me, they know how to find me."
Jeff Zucker resigned as CNN president in February 2022 after his relationship with the network's CMO was exposed.
Cuomo's message comes after he reignited his former workplace feud during a guest appearance on Patrick Bet-David's podcast. where he claimed fellow axed CNN star Don Lemon didn't have his back when he was fired.
The NewsNation anchor's dig at Lemon prompted sources to come forward, informing the same news outlet that Cuomo was allegedly the one who broke "bro code" by apparently outing Zucker and Gollust's romance.
- CNN President Jeff Zucker Announces His Resignation After Alleged Affair With Executive Vice President Allison Gollust Was Revealed
- Don Lemon Slams Former Friend Chris Cuomo In Heated CNN Meeting Following Jeff Zucker's Resignation
- Jeff Zucker Spotted 'Catching Up' With Ex-New York Time Columnist Ben Smith One Week After Announcing Resignation From CNN
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Chris Cuomo recently claimed Don Lemon didn't have his back when he was fired.
"Jeff put him in prime time. Jeff protected him and Chris sold him out," a confidant confessed. "He stabbed [Zucker] in the front [by] trying to take the network down."
While Zucker and Gollust's workplace relationship was "the worst kept secret in media," according to another source, many skeptics remain firm in their belief that Cuomo let the cat out of the bag.
Chris Cuomo filed a $125 wrongful termination lawsuit after his firing.
One source even claimed CNN staffers still are still angry at the network's former employee to this day, as some workers feel he "tried to take down the network" by filing a $125 million wrongful termination lawsuit after he was let go.
“It felt vindictive. Jeff and Allison were beloved. Chris was not. I don’t think I’ve ever heard one person say a good thing about him," a media insider declared, as another source mentioned, "no one at CNN speaks to [Cuomo]" after he tried to "sully anyone’s credibility and reputation."
Zucker himself appeared to throw blame toward Cuomo when announcing he was leaving the network in February 2022 — just two months after the latter's termination.
"As part of the investigation into Chris Cuomo’s tenure at CNN, I was asked about a consensual relationship with my closest colleague, someone I have worked with for more than 20 years," the network's former president told staffers in a memo at the time. "I acknowledged the relationship evolved in recent years. I was required to disclose it when it began but I didn’t. I was wrong. As a result, I am resigning today."
