In a bombshell revelation that strips away the gloss of their once-hyped CNN “bromance,” Chris Cuomo has declared that his former camaraderie with Don Lemon was little more than a corporate invention—and that the two men now actively dislike each other.
In a bombshell revelation that strips away the gloss of their once-hyped CNN “bromance,” Chris Cuomo has declared that his former camaraderie with Don Lemon was little more than a corporate invention—and that the two men now actively dislike each other.
Cuomo, who now anchors at NewsNation, opened up on Patrick Bet-David’s Home Team podcast, admitting their on-screen chemistry was manufactured at the urging of then-CNN president Jeff Zucker, who apparently saw Cuomo as a needed buffer to “mitigate” whatever Lemon might say at the start of his nightly show.
While the pair routinely hyped their friendship through the now-defunct “The Handoff” podcast, joint TV appearances, and even a 2019 speaking tour, Cuomo now calls it all a façade—and one that dissolved the moment he was fired in 2021 amid controversy over helping his brother, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, respond to sexual harassment allegations.
Cuomo says Lemon didn’t even reach out to him after his ousting, cementing what he now sees as a performative relationship.
“Why would I [work with Lemon again]?” Cuomo asked rhetorically. “You think he’s going to apologize to me? I am a loyalty guy… that’s the end of the analysis for me. You’re ride or die, or you’re not.”
Cuomo didn’t mince words about the dynamics at CNN under Zucker’s leadership, suggesting Lemon’s elevated status at the network had less to do with merit and more to do with powerful connections.
“Zucker’s best friend is Don Lemon’s best friend — who’s his agent — so, they had a real bond,” Cuomo said, implying that Lemon’s career benefited from that inner-circle favoritism.
Cuomo’s legal feud with CNN is ongoing. He is suing the network for $125 million, alleging wrongful termination and accusing CNN of launching a “smear campaign” against him. The lawsuit specifically calls out Lemon, who claimed Cuomo “broke with journalistic standards” and “was paid handsomely for it.”
Lemon, who was fired in 2023 following accusations of misogynistic remarks, now hosts a YouTube show that Cuomo curtly dismissed as “not particularly interesting.” His comment that women in their 40s are “past their prime” in reference to Nikki Haley sparked backlash and reportedly sealed his fate at CNN—a network that was already hemorrhaging viewers and credibility.
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