Chris Cuomo is returning to the TV news desk: Seven months after being fired by CNN, the anchor has signed on to host a primetime show for NewsNation starting this fall.
NewsNation, the Nexstar Media channel formerly known as WGN America, is an upstart cable news network that has already signed a number of familiar names including Ashleigh Banfield and Dan Abrams. “Chris joins our growing team of seasoned, award-winning journalists and will further our efforts to continue to ensure fairness and transparency in our news reporting and talk shows,” Nexstar Media president of networks Sean Compton said in a statement.
Cuomo added a statement of his own: “NewsNation believes in the work I am doing with the Chris Cuomo Project and I look forward to building something special here — covering news wherever it happens and having conversations that cater to common concerns and solutions rather than political parties or the political circus.”
After several years at ABC News, Cuomo moved to CNN in 2013, anchoring a number of programs before debuting Cuomo Prime Time in 2018. He was suspended by CNN, though, last November after new information came to light about how he aided his brother, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, battle the sexual harassment allegations that ultimately led to his resignation. (Chris allegedly used his journalistic sources to gather information on the women accusing his brother of harassment and also offered to help the governor’s office prepare its defense and dictated statements for the then-governor to use.)
Following an investigation, Cuomo was “terminated” by CNN days later, “effective immediately.” Cuomo responded at the time: “This is not how I want my time at CNN to end but I have already told you why and how I helped my brother. So let me now say as disappointing as this is, I could not be more proud of the team at Cuomo Prime Time and the work we did as CNN’s #1 show in the most competitive time slot. I owe them all and will miss that group of special people who did really important work.”