Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Jun 26, 2025

Chris Cuomo’s $20M war with CNN to 'clear his name' after Zucker revelation

Chris Cuomo’s $20M war with CNN to 'clear his name' after Zucker revelation

Zucker resigned this week after admitting a romantic relationship with a co-worker

EXCLUSIVE: Chris Cuomo is ready for war.

The former CNN anchor is preparing the for mother-of-all legal battles with his former employer, contending that he was improperly fired by his old boss Jeff Zucker, who himself was ousted as head of the network earlier this week, according to people close to CNN.

Chris Cuomo was forced out of CNN in December by Zucker, who said he was unaware of the scope of advice his former star anchor was giving his embattled brother, the former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.

Zucker’s forced resignation was said to be based on a consensual romantic relationship with Allison Gollust, CNN’s chief marketing officer and an executive vice president, who worked both closely with and for Zucker for many years. The former CNN chief in his resignation statement said he violated network rules by not disclosing the relationship to his supervisors at CNN’s parent, Warner Media, a unit of AT&T.

Atlanta, USA - October 19, 2011: Located in downtown Atlanta, Georgia next to Centennial Olympic Park


But Chris Cuomo’s planned legal attacks, according to people close to CNN, could add new details to this public narrative of why Zucker was ultimately forced out of the network he ran for the past nine years as one of the top executives in the broadcasting world.

Chris Cuomo’s firing came amid a controversy surrounding advice he gave to his brother who was fending off sexual harassment allegations that ultimately led to his resignation last year.

But Chris Cuomo and his lawyers are planning to file an arbitration claim against CNN that they are telling people will shed both new light on the circumstances surrounding why he was fired, but also Zucker’s own journalistic ethics.

The timing of the arbitration claim – contract professionals must seek arbitration as opposed to courts to settle disputes – is unclear though it has been described as "soon," these people say. Cuomo could also walk away and restart his career without the burden of a legal proceeding, but that seems unlikely for now.

FILE - Chris Cuomo attends The Hollywood Reporter's annual Most Powerful People in Media cocktail reception on April 11, 2019.


More likely, Cuomo, who anchored the highest-rated show at the network, plans to argue that his dealings with his brother were largely disclosed to Zucker on a regular basis. As a result his termination lacked merit.

Cuomo also plans to argue that those dealings, from a professional standpoint, aren’t materially different from the dealings both Gollust and Zucker had with Andrew Cuomo particularly during the early days of the COVID pandemic when they were seeking a relationship with the former governor who had achieved rock-star like fame and status for his daily briefings on the state’s efforts to deal with the virus.

Chris Cuomo is prepared to argue that Zucker and Gollust, herself a former adviser to the governor, saw ratings gold in booking Andrew Cuomo on Chris Cuomo’s show as much as possible, these people say. Chris Cuomo is prepared to say that their interactions with Andrew Cuomo stepped over the line from journalism to providing advice, not much different from the actions that led to his termination.

Representatives for Zucker didn’t return telephone calls for comment. Gollust, who remains an employee for CNN and a network spokesperson didn’t return calls for comment. A representative for Cuomo couldn’t be reached for comment. Media reps for Warner Media and AT&T didn’t return calls for comment.

Chris Cuomo, if and when he files the arbitration, will ask for the network to pay back his mounting legal and public relations bills, which are said to exceed $300,000. He will also seek to retain money from his four-year $20 million contract, these people add.

Maybe most importantly, people with knowledge of the matter say, Chris Cuomo wants any deal to be predicated on either a statement from CNN that he did not violate internal rules, or a clause that he can publicly repair his reputation at some point.

"(Chris’s) lawyers might feel differently, but (he) won’t keep quiet for money," said one person close to CNN.

Some media observers say CNN might be willing to settle with Chris Cuomo as long as it receives a confidentiality agreement that prevents him from speaking publicly about the matter because the controversy comes at a delicate time for the company. CNN’s parent, AT&T is seeking regulatory approval from the Biden Justice Department, to spin off its Warner Media subsidiary that includes CNN and properties like HBO, into a separate company run by Discovery Inc., and its chief David Zaslav.

Now, sources tell Fox Business some Democratic lawmakers have been raising questions about the way CNN was handling news involving Andrew Cuomo including the propriety of the network’s near-monopoly of interviewing the former governor during the early days of the pandemic when other networks were also seeking his input.

CNN says it will go back to using smaller studios amid efforts to limit Covid-19 transmission.


Chris Cuomo, meanwhile, plans to argue that while he interviewed his brother during those days it was Gollust and Zucker who pushed Andrew Cuomo to go on his brother’s show as a way to help his brother’s career at the network.

Advisers to then-governor Cuomo were worried about the optics of the two brothers appearing in light-hearted segments when other news outlets were requesting interviews.

"They were dangling in front of Andrew that he would help Chris’s career if he went on CNN so he shouldn’t do other shows," said one person close to CNN. "How is that not anti-competitive when other networks needed to hear from the governor?"

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Russian Shadow Payments via Cryptocurrency Reach $9 Billion
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Airlines Evaluate Flight Cancellations Amid Escalating US-Iran Tensions
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
BBC Demands Perplexity AI Immediately Stop Using Its Content
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
Political Turmoil Resurfaces in Belgium Amid Economic Concerns
Fed policymakers divided on timing of interest rate cuts
Trump signals imminent agreement with Harvard University
Inheritance tax referendum alarms Swiss billionaire community
Japan cancels bilateral security meeting amid US defence demands
AI skeptic Emily Bender warns that ‘the emperor has no clothes’
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
×