'I feel terrible for him'
Anderson Cooper reacts to Chris Cuomo's firing from CNN: 'There are repercussions'
Anderson Cooper has weighed in on his colleague Chris Cuomo's firing from CNN.
Cooper chatted with Stephen Colbert on The Late Show about CNN's recent firing of Cuomo over the help he gave his brother, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), amid a sexual harassment scandal. Cuomo's show aired after Cooper's on CNN. When asked if he believes the firing was the right thing to do, Cooper said he doesn't want "anything bad to happen" to Cuomo, a "friend of mine, and "I feel terrible for him and for his family."
Cooper went on to say, though, "Journalists have strict ethics and strict rules that we are to abide by, and if you don't abide by them, there are repercussions." He added, "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."
Cooper explained he wasn't informed of Cuomo's firing ahead of time and learned of it only when it was publicly announced, a fact that surprised Colbert. "People [were] surprised the day it actually happened when it happened," Cooper said. Cuomo had been suspended days before his firing after CNN said new emails released by the New York attorney general's office revealed he was more involved in helping his brother's defense against sexual harassment allegations than previously known.
On The Late Show, Cooper also joked that the first call he received after learning about Cuomo's firing was from his friend Andy Cohen, host of Watch What Happens Live, who asked him, "Do you think I could get that show?"