CNN’S Cuomo gets riled up over ‘Fredo’
NEW YORK — Chris Cuomo, the CNN anchor and member of a New York political dynasty, unleashed a spate of profanity-laced insults and threatened to throw a man down some stairs after the man apparently called him Fredo, a reference to “The Godfather” film trilogy, according to a video that spread across social media Monday night.
The video, originally shared on the conservative Youtube channel That’s The Point With Brandon, does not show the comment that sparked the incident. But it captures Cuomo’s furious response as he takes umbrage at the remark, which he called tantamount to “the N-word” for Cuomo Italian Americans.
“My name is Chris Cuomo,” he says in the video. “I’m an anchor on CNN. Fredo is from ‘The Godfather.’ He was that weak brother. And they use it as an Italian aspersion.”
Cuomo’s brother is Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and their father is former Gov. Mario Cuomo. In the “Godfather” films, Fredo Corleone is the feeble, ineffectual brother of Mafia leader Michael Corleone.
On Tuesday morning, Chris Cuomo posted a statement, saying, “Appreciate all the support but — truth is I should be better than the guys baiting me.”
He added: “There is a lesson: no need to add to the ugliness; I should be better than what I oppose.”
On Monday night, a CNN spokesman, Matt Dornic, said on Twitter that the network completely supports Cuomo.
“Chris Cuomo defended himself when he was verbally attacked with the use of an ethnic slur in an orchestrated setup,” Dornic wrote.
In the Youtube video, Cuomo said his conservative critics have frequently used the name as an insult against him.
Tuesday morning, President Donald Trump, who often criticizes the Cuomos, wrote on Twitter: “I thought Chris was Fredo also. The truth hurts. Totally lost it.”
Trump escalated his criticism later, The New York Times reported.
“Would Chris Cuomo be given a Red Flag for his recent rant?” he tweeted, referencing the gun restrictions Trump expressed support for in the wake of deadly mass shootings. “Filthy language and a total loss of control. He shouldn’t be allowed to have any weapon. He’s nuts!”
The Cuomo family has long chafed at even the hint of a Mafia reference. Mario Cuomo frequently urged reporters and public officials not to use the word “Mafia,” calling it an “ugly stereotype.”
Brandon Recor, host of the Youtube channel that posted the video, said he was sent the footage Sunday by the man involved in the confrontation, who Recor said requested anonymity because he lives in New York and fears retribution from the governor.
Recor said the man was at a bar in Shelter Island, New York, when he approached Cuomo. In the video, the man insists he thought Cuomo’s name really was Fredo.
Recor said “the guy listens to Rush Limbaugh a lot, and for whatever reason, Rush Limbaugh refers to Chris Cuomo as Fredo. So the guy was like, ‘Hey, Fredo, can I get a photo?”’