CNN anchor Chris Cuomo threatened to throw a man down the stairs after he called him “Fredo,” a derogatory term.
What We Know:
- A video of Cuomo in a fight with someone who called him an ethnic slur surfaced Monday on THAT’S THE POINT with Brandon, a popular Twitter page and Youtube channel. The video shows Cuomo yelling back at a man who had called him “Fredo” when asking him for a photo; The man claims he actually thought Cuomo was Fredo from The Godfather, not that he was using it as a commonly used slur.
- The term comes from the film The Godfather; it’s the nickname given to the least successful sibling in the mafia family, Frederico Corleone. The slur makes reference to Cuomo’s brother, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo while commenting on Cuomo’s Italian heritage. “Only punk ass b—s from the right call me Fredo… He was a weak brother. And they use it as an Italian aspersion. Any of you Italian? It’s a f—g insult to the people…It’s like the N-word for us,” Cuomo says in the video.
- A spokesperson for CNN, Matt Dornic, defended Cuomo’s actions in response to a tweet from President Donald Trump criticizing the network for not making a comment fast enough. Dornic explains the network stands by Cuomo as he was simply defending himself in the face of an ethnic slur. Fox News’ Shean Hannity also spoke out in defense of Cuomo in a tweet, stating Cuomo deserves an apology.
Chris Cuomo defended himself when he was verbally attacked with the use of an ethnic slur in an orchestrated setup. We completely support him.
— Matt Dornic (@mdornic) August 13, 2019
- Trump also contributed to the racial slur saying he too thought Cuomo was Fredo.
I thought Chris was Fredo also. The truth hurts. Totally lost it! Low ratings @CNN https://t.co/yBpGjt4N1T
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 13, 2019
- Trump tweeted about the incident all day, criticizing the public for allowing Cuomo to get away with this sort of aggressive behavior and claiming that Conservatives can never get away with such behavior. Meghan McCain of The View supported Trump’s commentary, asking how the reaction might be different had a woman acted as Cuomo had, cursing and threatening someone on video.
- Cuomo himself acknowledged his behavior was inappropriate, saying he should act better than those who attack him. He said he is baited like this all the time and should act more honorably in the face of such behavior, especially in front of his family.
Appreciate all the support but – truth is I should be better than the guys baiting me. This happens all the time these days. Often in front of my family. But there is a lesson: no need to add to the ugliness; I should be better than what I oppose.
— Christopher C. Cuomo (@ChrisCuomo) August 13, 2019
Many other celebrities, like Gene Simmons of KISS, have weighed in on the controversy. While many support Cuomo for sticking up for himself, others feel his reaction was inappropriate.
