Chris Cuomo says he does not have animosity toward CNN, the network that fired him last year, saying he is ready to “move on” from the scandal over the assistance he gave his brother, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), which ultimately led to the ouster of the head of the news network.
“As for CNN, I’ll never be a hater,” Cuomo said on the first episode of a podcast and YouTube series he is calling “The Chris Cuomo Project.” “CNN has great people. CNN has a great purpose. And I wish them all the best. And I miss so many of the people there. But it’s time for me to move on.”
The former prime-time anchor has slowly been attempting to reenter the national spotlight with a series of social media postings and public relations teases about his plans for the future and career aspirations.
He recently granted an interview, slated to air next week, to television pundit Dan Abrams, who hosts a prime-time show on the cable news channel NewsNation. (NewsNation is owned by Nexstar Media Group, The Hill’s parent company.)
Cuomo, at the top of the first episode of his new project released on Thursday, said he does not regret “helping his family” before he was fired by former CNN President Jeff Zucker.
Zucker fired Cuomo after the network said he misled leaders about his contacts with aides to Andrew Cuomo and journalists covering the sexual harassment scandal that led to the New York governor’s resignation from office.
A subsequent review of Zucker’s conduct during the same period conducted by parent company WarnerBros. Discovery led to Zucker’s own ouster two months later.
Cuomo is suing CNN for $125 million, something the former anchor alluded to on Thursday saying “there are some outstanding legal fights that I have to respect.”
“I really do regret how everything ended, but I will never regret helping my family,” he said. “I promised my father, I would always be there for my brother and I always will be. Just like he has always been there for me.”
CNN still has not hired a full-time replacement for Cuomo’s 9 p.m. weeknight slot but has poached a number of top talents away from competitors in recent months as it built up its news streaming service, which was shuttered earlier this year after less than a month.