Chris Cuomo said that some his former colleagues, namely Jake Tapper and Don Lemon, should have called him follow his dramatic ousting from CNN in 2021.
Cuomo was fired last year after he was found to have helped his brother, then New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, battle sexual harassment claims.
It was announced on Tuesday that the 51-year-old will host a new prime time show on NewsNation.
Cuomo wore blue button down and slacks earlier today as he entered NewsNation’s studios on 42nd Street in New York City.
He was there to appear on ‘Dan Abrams Live’ to discuss his new role with Nexstar Media Group’s cable network.
During his appearance on Abrams’ show, Cuomo was asked about his longtime colleagues Jake Tapper and Don Lemon ‘coming out aggressively’ against the host.
Cuomo said: ‘They’re good people. They’re good people.’
He added: ‘I cannot blame people for acting on what they’re told. Should they have called me? Of course. But I understand the circumstances, also.’
Cuomo went on: ‘I understand why they may not have felt that was an option. But these are good people. They take their jobs seriously. I’m not gonna judge them for what they say about me based on what they knew and didn’t know. I wish them well.’
Chris Cuomo, 51, (right) revealed his stellar new reporting gig tonight as he’s set to return to America’s TV screens after his sensational firing last year
Cuomo said of Jake Tapper and Don Lemon during his interview: ‘They take their jobs seriously. I’m not gonna judge them for what they say about me based on what they knew and didn’t know. I wish them well’
Chris Cuomo was seen earlier today entering NewsNation’s studios on 42nd Street in the Big Apple
Earlier on Abrams’ show, when Cuomo was announced as joining the network, he told viewers: ‘I want to help. I want to find a way to help people. I’m going to come to NewsNation and I want to build something special.’
The former CNN star added: ‘I’ve decided that I can’t go back to what people see as the big game. I don’t think I can make a difference there.’
Cuomo concluded by saying: ‘I’m going to do the job. I’m going to go where the news is and I’m going to try very hard to be fair.’
Later in the interview, Cuomo was asked about his firing from CNN. The new NewsNation star said: ‘I remember the phone call but I don’t remember any emotions around it.’
He went on: ‘You know, there’d been so much negativity, so intense, for so long, that I didn’t see coming.’
Cuomo added: ‘I don’t know if I were numb or whatever it was but it was just one more thing that I was going to have to deal with.’
NewsNation also released this head shot of Chris Cuomo to mark his appointment to the channel
CNN fired Cuomo last December after he was caught advising his scandal-plagued brother, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, through sexual misconduct allegations.
The broadcaster – who was believed to earn $6 million-a-year – did so while simultaneously working for a journalist at a network tasked with reporting impartially on the scandal.
A state attorney general’s report found that his brother had sexually harassed 11 different women, although Andrew Cuomo continues
In March the broadcast journalist, who hosted Cuomo Prime Time from 2017 until last December, served CNN with a $125 million arbitration claim over what he claims is his wrongful dismissal.
That suit is believed to be ongoing.
CNN fired Cuomo last December after he was caught advising his scandal-plagued brother, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (left), through sexual misconduct allegations
Fired CNN host Chris Cuomo has launched his comeback with a new podcast, staking out a defiant tone as he released the first episode
Announcing the new move, Sean Compton, Nexstar Media Inc.’s President of Network, said: ‘Chris joins our growing team of seasoned, award-winning journalists and will further our efforts to continue to ensure fairness and transparency in our news reporting and talk shows.
‘NewsNation believes in the work I am doing with the Chris Cuomo Project, and I look forward to building something special here – covering news wherever it happens and having conversations that cater to common concerns and solutions rather than political parties or the political circus.’
NewsNation has long billed itself as an impartial, straight-down-the-line network which focuses solely on reporting the news, without any political angle.
The broadcaster also launched his own comeback podcast last week, The Chris Cuomo Project, staking out a defiant tone as he released the first episode – with new shows coming out on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
In the podcast, Cuomo made the surprise declaration that he is not a Democrat, despite his deep family ties to the party, and defended the actions that led to his ouster from CNN.
The veteran TV newsman also said there were no hard feelings when it came to his former employer – who fired him amid his brother’s sex pest scandal.
‘As for CNN, I’ll never be a hater. 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, and I believe I can be more than I ever was before,’ he said.
Cuomo also said that he does not consider himself a Democrat, despite the fact that both his father Mario and brother Andrew served as Democratic governors of New York.
CNN fired Chris Cuomo (pictured) last December after he was caught advising his scandal-plagued brother, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, through sexual misconduct allegations
‘I love my father, I love my brother, I respect them both tremendously, but I’m no Democrat,’ he said.
‘And I am not here to make any of you comfortable being a lefty. I want you to question why you are. I want you to question everything,’ added Cuomo.
The promos come just weeks after the former TV anchor took to Instagram to tell America to ‘pay more attention’ to what is happening in Ukraine.
‘What is happening right now in Ukraine is bad and America should be paying a lot more attention,’ he said, reporting from the war-torn nation.
‘I went to the eastern front… Outmanned and outgunned we had to hide behind abandoned buildings.’
Cuomo likened the conflict to ‘WW2’ and compared Ukrainians to Americans fighting the War of Independence.
‘Ukrainians sound like Americans 240yrs ago vs the British. They are laying down their lives to keep the freedoms we have here.
‘The interest here has slowed…the war is only accelerating. I will show you more reason to care…soon. Thank you for the interest.’
Cuomo has worked at nearly all the news networks throughout his career, working for Fox News, CNBC, MSNBC, ABC and CNN, finally getting his own show from his good friend and boss Jeff Zucker, who was also fired for violating the company’s rules on dating subordinates.
After losing the $6 million-a-year gig for running interference for his brother, Cuomo sued the network for $125 million.
According to the lawsuit: ‘Cuomo has had his journalistic integrity unjustifiably smeared, making it difficult if not impossible for Cuomo to find similar work in the future and damaging him in amounts exceeding $125 million, which includes not only the remaining salary owed under the Agreement, but future wages lost as a result of CNN’s efforts to destroy his reputation in violation of the Agreement.’
The talk show host started teasing his career comeback earlier this month and rebranded himself as a ‘free agent’ while reporting from Ukraine last week (pictured)