Cuomo Brothers Face Downhill Spiral

By Cayla McKay ‘25
The Cuomo brothers, leaders in the public eye, have fallen from grace.
In August of 2021, New York governor Andrew Cuomo resigned from office due to sexual assault accusations. Just a few months later, in early December, CNN’s star anchor Chris Cuomo, Andrew’s brother, was fired as new information emerged about his aid in managing the accusations against his brother.

Andrew Cuomo’s resignation followed the release of a 164-page report by the New York State attorney general which concluded that Cuomo sexually harassed nearly a dozen women. After the report was made public, Cuomo stated in a 21-minute speech delivered on August 10, 2021, that he takes full responsibility for his actions, while simultaneously denying the allegations. 
“I truly believe it is politically motivated […] This is about politics. And our political system today is too often driven by the extremes,” he said.
 Immediately preceding Cuomo’s remarks, his personal lawyer, Rita Glavin, gave a 45-minute presentation that attempted to minimize the severity of the situation and raise doubt about the accusers’ stories. In addition, Cuomo’s team retaliated against an accuser’s complaints by making said complaints public, employing the dehumanizing tactic of public embarrassment. 
"Legitimate situations are not getting the same amount of attention and I feel like while it was something that he should not have done, it was wrong, the attention makes cases like this really hard. I'm all for letting the judges and the judicial system handle it the way it needs to be handled, but I'm a little dismayed because I was actually a supporter of both Cuomo brothers,” said Upper School Manager of Operations Crystal Hopkins.
Prior to these allegations, Cuomo was predicted to win his 4th term, primarily due to his performance during the COVID-19 crisis, when he gave daily COVID briefings that included the number of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths, while also detailing the procedures he and his administration were carrying out to combat the virus. 
Many New Yorkers praised him for his honesty and transparency during the crisis but were quick to become doubtful about his leadership as news of sexual assault accusations spread. As the crisis accelerated, and Cuomo faced the increasing likelihood of impeachment, he decided to resign. 
Arts and Experiential Educator Ms. Mittleman said, "It's really sad, I think that during COVID a lot of people were looking up to Cuomo, and people constantly feel upset by politicians taking advantage of their power."
In the 246 year history of the State of New York, just one other governor, William Sulzer in 1913, had been impeached.
On December 4th, Chris Cuomo, a member of CNN’s news team since early 2013, was fired because of his efforts to help his brother maintain his reputation as the sexual assault accusations came to light. The New York attorney general released text receipts revealing the anchor’s involvement in his brother’s scandal, including his participation in giving advice on Andrew Cuomo’s public statements; while continuing to comment on the scandal in his role as a CNN prime time news anchor. 
Although these facts did not lead to his termination, they did cause his suspension on Tuesday, November 4th. The following day, lawyer Debra S. Katz informed CNN of a client with a sexual misconduct allegation against Chris Cuomo. She stated that her client “came forward because she was disgusted by Chris Cuomo’s on-air statements in response to the allegations made against his brother, Governor Andrew Cuomo.”
 It is currently unclear if this allegation, made by a former junior colleague at another news network, ultimately led to the final decision to fire Chris Cuomo. A CNN spokesperson stated, “based on the report we received regarding Chris’s conduct with his brother’s defense, we had cause to terminate. When new allegations came to us this week, we took them seriously and saw no reason to delay taking immediate action.” 
Cuomo showed no remorse in his statement on December 4th, saying, “This is not how I want my time at CNN to end but I have already told you why and how I helped my brother.”
Though it was originally speculated that Chris Cuomo may return to CNN despite his suspension, his final termination has made the possibility of his return highly improbable. As for the New York governor position, Democrat Kathy Hochul took Andrew Cuomo’s place, becoming New York’s first female governor.