Chris Cuomo was called Fredo Cuomo by a man who is said to be a Donald Trump supporter and a die-hard fan of conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh.
Both CNN and Sean Hannity have shown support for Cuomo. Many are wondering, will his bother, Andrew Mark Cuomo, the current governor of New York do the same?
Late Monday night, a video surfaced via Twitter showing the CNN anchor having a heated exchange with the unnamed man.
The incident took place at a Shelter Island bar in New York while Cuomo was out with his family, including his wife, Cristina Greeven.
In the now-viral clip, Cuomo is seen responding to the man who called him “Fredo,” the weak fictional character from the hit movies, The Godfather.
The primetime anchor was not pleased with the jab and lashed out in a profanity-laced exchange with the Republican backer.
Cuomo angrily said: “Punk a– b—es from the right call me Fredo. My name is Chris Cuomo. I’m an anchor on CNN. Fredo is from ‘The Godfather.’ He was a weak brother, and they use it as an Italian aspersion.”
Cuomo, who is of Italian descent, went on to explain that the term “Fredo” is a racist slur comparable to degrading an African American with the N-word.
The individual went on to say, “you are much more reasonable guy in person than you seem to be on television.”
I say good for @ChrisCuomo
He’s out with his 9 year old daughter, and his wife, and this guy is being a jackass in front of his family.
Imho Chris Cuomo has zero to apologize for. He deserves the apology. https://t.co/VnyMNgz14U
— Sean Hannity (@seanhannity) August 13, 2019
Cuomo responded by saying: “If you want to play then we’ll f—ing play. If you’ve got something to say about what I do on television, then say it.”
The man told the CNN host that he thought his name was really Fredo. Cuomo hit back with: “You’re going to have a big f—ing problem, and I’ll f—ing throw you down these stairs like a f—ing punk.”
A group of people stepped in to prevent the situation from escalating.
The clip was released via a YouTube channel called “That’s The Point with Brandon,” which supports Trump.
President Trump has repeatedly attacked CNN and its coverage throughout his presidency. Katrina Pierson, a Trump 2020 campaign aide, bashed the CNN host by saying: “The N-word is a dehumanizing word used against blacks who endured years of oppression. Fredo is a term from The Godfather, referring to the dumb brother. Equivocating, the two is pure racism.”
Donald Trump Jr. added: “I assume cnn is not available for comment. Imagine their coverage of this if they were a real news organization?”
Former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci, who is feuding with Trump, backed Cuomo explaining that “this happens all the time” and this is “quite racist.”
CNN issued a statement saying: “Chris Cuomo defended himself when he was verbally attacked with the use of an ethnic slur in an orchestrated set up. We completely support him.”
Cuomo’s Fox News Channel’s rival host, Hannity, also defended him. Here are a few examples of Limbaugh calling Cuomo Fredo.
Feb 7, 2019, while talking about the Mueller investigation he said: “Chris Cuomo, Fredo, on his show on CNN last night starts warning the people, (paraphrased) “Hey, hey, hey, don’t expect much out of the Mueller report.”
May 18, 2018, Limbaugh aired an interview of Rudy Giuliani with Cuomo and revealed: “Let me get a sound bite with Rudy. I want to give you an example of Fredo Cuomo, he and Don Lemon, in their royal cluelessness.”
Oct 3, 2017, Limbaugh stated: “You know, I have to tell you, sometimes it’s fun to watch Fredo Cuomo on CNN.”
The right is also attacking CNN and Cuomo because political commentator Ana Navarro had used the slur “Fredo” to describe Trump Jr. on the January 9 episode of Cuomo Prime Time.
Well, this seems just a bit hypocritical. CNN host Chris Cuomo expresses no outrage, let alone a reaction when his guest Ana Navarro referred to Donald Trump Jr. as “Fredo” from the movie The Godfather on his own show earlier this year.pic.twitter.com/RytA1VLxj8
— Derek Watson (@derekdwatson) August 13, 2019
