Chris Cuomo did not address a sexual harassment allegation against him during Friday’s episode of CNN’s Cuomo Prime Time.
The show aired as scheduled, with Cuomo running through the latest news stories.
Earlier in the day, former ABC executive producer Shelley Ross wrote in a column for The New York Times that she was sexually harassed by Cuomo while they were both working at the network. She alleged that Cuomo engaged in inappropriate behavior at a work party in 2005, in which ABC colleagues were present along with Ross’s husband.
She described Cuomo greeting her with “a strong bear hug” while “lowering one hand to firmly grab and squeeze the cheek of my buttock,” and saying to her: “I can do this now that you’re no longer my boss.” Ross recalled pushing him away and quickly leaving the Upper West Side bar.
Ross detailed in the opinion piece that Cuomo subsequently apologized for the incident via email and said he was “ashamed” for the way he acted.
Cuomo responded in a statement to the Times: “As Shelley acknowledges, our interaction was not sexual in nature. It happened 16 years ago in a public setting when she was a top executive at ABC. I apologized to her then, and I meant it.”
In recent months, Cuomo faced scrutiny over advising his brother, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, amid misconduct allegations against him. The New York politician resigned on Aug. 10.
In May, Cuomo apologized for advising his brother during the scandal, saying, “It was a mistake, because I put my colleagues here, who I believe are the best in the business, in a bad spot. I never intended for that, I would never intend for that, and I’m sorry for that.”
Source: Hollywood
