Embattled anchor Chris Cuomo responded to his termination from CNN over his 'conduct with his brother’s defense', saying he was disappointed in the network's action but remained proud of his team.
'This is not how I want my time at CNN to end,' Cuomo tweeted Saturday evening. 'But, I have already told you why and how I helped my brother.'
'So let me now say as disappointing as this is, I could not be more proud of the team at Cuomo Prime Time and the work we did as CNN's #1 show in the most competitive time slot.'
Cuomo said he owes his team and 'will miss that group of special people who did really important work' as he also fights off a historic sexual misconduct claim.
CNN announced Cuomo's termination Saturday, stating it was 'effective immediately' and followed an investigation by an outside law firm into how exactly the star anchor aided his brother, Andrew Cuomo, then-governor of New York, try to fight off a sexual harassment scandal this year.
Embattled anchor Chris Cuomo has been 'terminated' by CNN 'effective immediately,' the network announced in a statement Saturday
Cuomo, 51, issued acknowledging his axing Saturday in a public statement expressing regret in his part of the scandal - but asserted that he was only helping his brother, who was forced to resign in August due to the allegations
'Chris Cuomo was suspended earlier this week pending further evaluation of new information that came to light about his involvement with his brother's defense,' the network said in a statement Saturday.
'We retained a respected law firm to conduct the review and have terminated him.'
Though it was not referenced in CNN's statement, an attorney told the New York Times that she had informed the network on Wednesday of her client's allegation of prior sexual misconduct against Chris Cuomo.
Debra S. Katz, a prominent employment lawyer who also represents one of Andrew Cuomo's accusers, said that the allegation against Chris Cuomo was made by a former junior colleague at another network, and was unrelated to the Gov. Andrew Cuomo matter.'
Further details about the allegation are unclear, including which network Chris Cuomo was working at at the time of the alleged misconduct. Cuomo's spokesman denied the claim, saying: 'These apparently anonymous allegations are not true.'
CNN's statement cited only Cuomo's 'conduct with his brother’s defense' in its decision to terminate the anchor.
'Chris Cuomo was suspended earlier this week pending further evaluation of new information that came to light about his involvement with his brother's defense,' the network said in the statement.
After amassing a trove of texts and documents pointing to a serious breach of network standards by the journalist, CNN notified Cuomo of his termination Saturday, the network's statement revealed.
In an announcement released Saturday afternoon, the network revealed that more information had come to light during its internal investigation into the anchor - which is still ongoing
Cuomo, 51, acknowledged his axing Saturday, expressing regret for his part of the scandal - but still asserting that he was only helping his brother, who was forced to resign in August to avoid impeachment over the allegations.
Cuomo joined CNN as a field anchor in February 2013 following stints at ABC and Fox News. After rising through the ranks, he was tapped in March 2018 to host Cuomo Prime Time.
According to some estimates, Cuomo had an annual salary of $6million.
His 9pm show, Cuomo Prime Time, was CNN's highest rated broadcast. It drew an average of 774,000 viewers during November, when it ranked No. 25 among all cable TV news programs - right behind Anderson Cooper's show.
However, the network saw a 19 percent bump after Cuomo was suspended Tuesday and Cooper filled in. The network has not indicated who will be his permanent replacement.
Cuomo's shocking downfall came less than a week after the New York Attorney General's Office released transcripts and exhibits on Monday, showing that the TV host had played a more intimate role in his older brother's political affairs than initially thought by the network and the public.
New York Attorney General Letitia James' investigation uncovered a never-before-seen trove of texts from Cuomo to his brother's advisers briefing them on how to deal with sex pest allegations.
The incriminating texts revealed that Cuomo had far more extensive input in his brother's political machinations than he admitted - and showed that the anchor was essentially working as an unpaid aide to older brother Andrew.
In a statement announcing Cuomo's suspension Tuesday, CNN said the Attorney General's newly released findings 'shed new light on Chris Cuomo's involvement in his brother's defense.'
'The documents, which we were not privy to before their
