I was ‘going to kill everybody and myself’ after CNN firing, Chris Cuomo says
Chris Cuomo said he was so distraught after being “s–t-canned” by CNN that he was “going to kill everybody and myself.”
The former “Cuomo Prime Time” host was fired by the struggling cable news outfit in late 2021 after it was learned he was helping his brother, then-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, fight sexual harassment allegations made by ex-aides.
“I had to accept [my firing] because I was going to kill everybody, including myself,” the 52-year-old news personality told ex-Trump administration official Anthony Scramucci during The Mooch’s podcast, “Open Book,” which aired Wednesday.
“Things can consume you.”
Cuomo was unceremoniously dumped by his longtime patron and friend, then-CNN boss Jeff Zucker. Months after Cuomo’s ouster, Zucker stepped down after it was learned he was involved in a years-long consensual affair with his top marketing officer, Allison Gollust.
Cuomo told The Mooch he “makes a lot of mistakes” and revealed he sought therapy after he was fired.
“There is damage that is relatable, there is damage that is unrelatable to people that I have to deal with, that I am working on,” Cuomo said.
After a months-long hiatus, he was hired by NewsNation to host “Cuomo,” a primetime talk show. But the comeback has struggled to generate anywhere near the viewership that tuned in to his 9 p.m. CNN show.
His October debut drew 147,000 viewers, a pittance compared to the roughly 1 million he averaged on CNN, where he was the network’s top-rated primetime anchor.
Cuomo admitted that it was “kind of embarrassing” to go from top dog at CNN to a cable channel that “people don’t want to watch.”
“At CNN, I wasn’t set up to be [No. 1],” Cuomo said. “I wasn’t the big name there, I didn’t have the big team, they didn’t do the advertising about me. But I was still No. 1.”
Cuomo continued: “Why? Because it was the best show. Because I was giving people what they needed in that moment.”
Cuomo appeared to be struggling to come to terms with being relegated to his low ratings. His NewsNation program has averaged about 63,000 viewers per night.
“It’s hard to keep perspective on that because it’s kind of embarrassing,” he said.
“I will never be [No. 1] again,” Cuomo said.
Cuomo made it clear he feels wronged by CNN.
“I believe that was taken, I believe wrongly,” Cuomo said of his job.
“I will litigate that. I am not going to bitch about it in the press.”
Cuomo filed a $125 million arbitration claim against CNN. He accused the network of “smearing” his journalistic integrity. The case is ongoing.
Cuomo also revealed that he took legal action against HarperCollins, the publisher of his book “Deep Denial.” HarperCollins, which is owned by The Post’s parent company, News Corp., dropped the project after Cuomo’s firing.
The Post has sought comment from Cuomo’s representatives, CNN and Zucker.
