Battling primetime hosts Sean Hannity and Chris Cuomo had a rare moment of solidarity Monday evening after Fox’s Hannity extended an olive branch to the CNN host after he was filmed shouting at a heckler for calling him “Fredo.”
In a tweet, Hannity praised Cuomo for standing up for himself when “this guy is being a jackass” in front of Cuomo’s family. He added that the CNN host had “zero to apologize for.”
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
In footage of the incident, which appears to have been secretly recorded by the heckler, Cuomo is seen telling the man it’s derogatory to call Italians “Fredo,” conflating the “fucking insult” to saying the “n-word.” The man appears to try to rile Cuomo up, who responds by saying “I’ll fuckin’ ruin your shit” and “I’ll fucking throw you down these stairs.”
Cuomo’s also facing criticism for comparing the word “Fredo,” the name of a character in “The Godfather” who betrays his family, to the n-word.
Later Tuesday morning, Cuomo tweeted thanking people for their support, but acknowledged that he “should be better than the guys baiting me.”
Appreciate all the support but – truth is I should be better than the guys baiting me. 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.
— Christopher C. Cuomo (@ChrisCuomo) August 13, 2019
In a statement posted to Twitter, a CNN spokesperson said the network “completely support(s)” Cuomo who “defended himself when he was verbally attacked with the use of an ethnic slur.” CNN called the incident an “orchestrated setup.” The statement was posted as a reply to a Donald Trump Jr. tweet questioning whether CNN would comment on the incident.
Chris Cuomo defended himself when he was verbally attacked with the use of an ethnic slur in an orchestrated setup. We completely support him.
— Matt Dornic (@mdornic) August 13, 2019
The President’s son tweeted again, questioning whether Cuomo was actually offended by the slur.
“An excuse just as fake as his news,” he said.
Does CNN’s head of PR still think “Fredo” is an ethnic slur after watching this? Because if it’s the N word for Italians like @ChrisCuomo says, I don’t understand why Chris seems so at ease with someone saying it here. An excuse just as fake as his news. #FredoCuomo https://t.co/8G8yuY80CK pic.twitter.com/1gwVyDVCob
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) August 13, 2019
On Tuesday morning, President Trump couldn’t resist weighing in on the debacle, tweeting the “truth hurts.”
I thought Chris was Fredo also. The truth hurts. Totally lost it! Low ratings @CNN https://t.co/yBpGjt4N1T
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 13, 2019
