CNN anchor Chris Cuomo was the top trending topic on social media throughout the night after a viral video showed the 49-year-old New Yorker involved in an expletive-laden confrontation with a man who called him “Fredo.” Cuomo began shouting at the man and at one time threatened to push him down the steps.
“I’ll f–ing throw you down these stairs like a f–ing punk,” Cuomo said. “You’re gonna call me Fredo, take a f–ing swing? I’ll f–ing wreck your sh*t.”
Cuomo remained quiet in the immediate aftermath, but he has since taken to social media to issue a brief statement on the public altercation. Cuomo took responsibility for his actions and will use it as a learning lesson moving forward.
“Appreciate all the support but – truth is I should be better than the guys baiting me.,” Cuomo wrote on Twitter. “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.”
After the video went viral, Cuomo was trolled by the usual suspects like the president’s son Donald Trump Jr.
One person you would have expected to troll Cuomo over the situation, however, actually was among those who came to the CNN anchor’s defense. Enter FOX News host Sean Hannity.
“I say good for [Chris Cuomo]. He’s out with his 9-year-old daughter and his wife, and this guy is being a jackass in front of his family,” Hannity wrote on Twitter. “[In my humble opinion], Chris Cuomo has zero to apologize for. He deserves the apology.”
CNN also showed their support for Cuomo.
“Chris Cuomo defended himself when he was verbally attacked with the use of an ethnic slur in an orchestrated setup,” a spokesperson from CNN told the New York Post in a statement. “We completely support him.”
It looks like Cuomo and CNN are ready to move on.
