What Did Anderson Cooper Say About Chris Cuomo's Firing From CNN?

The following article includes mention of sexual harassment and misconduct.

In the months which marked former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's precipitous fall from grace — from a once-lauded politician leading the charge against COVID-19 to a disgraced figure accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women — it almost seemed certain that his brother, journalist Chris Cuomo, would face similar scrutiny. While Chris received criticism long before his brother resigned from office, namely over the journalistic ethics of Chris interviewing Andrew during his tenure at CNN, an investigation launched by the network found Chris worked extensively and closely with the ex-governor to cover up his alleged misdeeds. This discovery led CNN to fire him, the network announced in a statement on December 5.

As of this writing, it's become exceedingly clearer that Chris's collusion with his brother was just the tip of the iceberg. As NPR reported shortly following Chris's termination, at least one woman has come forward through her lawyer with allegations of sexual misconduct against the younger Cuomo. (Per NPR, the incident or incidents of sexual harassment took place during Cuomo's tenure at ABC News, not CNN.) As more information will most likely surface within the coming weeks, at least one of Chris's former colleagues has finally spoken out about the ex-anchor's firing. 

Less than two weeks after Chris Cuomo's termination from his CNN post, fellow network anchor Anderson Cooper addressed the decision to cut ties with Cuomo with a seemingly diplomatic tack during a December appearance on CBS's "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert." After Colbert asked Cooper if the firing was a justifiable action on behalf of the network, Cooper stated, while he didn't "want anything bad to happen" to Cuomo, whom he considers a friend, he also admitted that professionally, it was the right call. "Journalists have strict ethics and strict rules that we are to abide by, and if you don't abide by them, there are repercussions," Cooper explained. "I wish Chris the best, and I'm sorry for how all of this played out, and I hate for this for his family. But it's a business with very big responsibilities, and there are repercussions."

Later on, Cooper clarified that he had no prior knowledge of Cuomo's termination before it was announced by CNN, and that people were "surprised the day it actually happened when it happened." He did not discuss the recent sexual harassment allegations against Cuomo during the segment. Cooper did, however, disclose that his best friend, Bravo host Andy Cohen, immediately expressed interest in taking on Cuomo's gig, joking, "[Andy Cohen] feels he is fully qualified to host a presidential debate because he hosts the ['Real Housewives' franchise] reunions."