In case you missed it, Chris Cuomo was finally suspended this week from his hosting duties on the largely unwatched former news network CNN — a story Vespa broke here Tuesday night. But Cuomo's not entirely muzzled, thanks to his satellite radio show on SiriusXM where he addressed the topic of his indefinite removal from television.
"It hurts to even say it. It’s embarrassing. But I understand it," he told listeners Wednesday of his suspension following multiple scoldings from CNN executives for his decision to consult for his brother, ex-Governor Andrew Cuomo, amid a sexual assault and harassment scandal that ultimately proved politically unsurvivable.
Earth to Cuomo: you're being punished, it's supposed to hurt and be embarrassing. And he should have thought of these potential ramifications when he was helping his brother with off-the-books consultations and a weird sort of insider trading of information related to the former governor's accusers before stories broke.
"I understand why some people feel the way they do about what I did," Chris Cuomo explained. "I’ve apologized in the past, and I mean it," he added. Those previous apologies, though, only offered regret over what he was caught/revealed to have been doing at the time. Is the takeaway that he doesn't feel regret for the latest revelations that cost him his regular 9:00 p.m. slot on CNN for the time being?
Chris Cuomo responds to suspension from CNN on his radio show:
— The Recount (@therecount) December 1, 2021
“It hurts to even say it. It’s embarrassing. But I understand it. And I understand why some people feel the way they do about what I did. I’ve apologized in the past, and I mean it.” pic.twitter.com/AgbQs1mL0h
Apparently, as Cuomo explained, "It’s the last thing I ever wanted to do, was compromise any of my colleagues and do anything but help." So, Cuomo is apparently either a complete simpleton for not seeing what he was doing as wrong, or he was a willful accomplice of his brother Andrew's smear campaign aimed at discrediting accusers and maintaining power.
"I know they have a process that they think is important," Chris Cuomo said of the deliberations CNN is undertaking during his indefinite suspension. And despite being rather clear that the process is one CNN — and apparently not he — thinks is important, Cuomo said "I respect that process, so I'm not going to talk about this any more than that."
Even though Cuomo's whining about how embarrassed he feels or how much he's hurting in the wake of his suspension is rather insufferable — not to mention anything about the embarrassment or hurt he caused women who accused him or his brother of sexual misconduct — perhaps humbling his outsized ego is an even greater punishment than taking away his time slot for a few weeks.
Whether he learns any lessons or not while nursing his hurt and embarrassed ego, according to an update from Matt on Wednesday, CNN's Brian Stelter foresees a return for Cuomo in the new year because of his high ratings. If Cuomo knows that he's got the ratings to make it extra painful for CNN to show him the door permanently, he's likely to continue operating like he has immunity against firing.
If he is fired, he'd have to live with knowing he was dismissed by a network that welcomed Jeffrey Toobin back to its airwaves. Now that would be truly embarrassing.