CNN's Chris Cuomo recently made a controversial joke to his colleague Don Lemon live on air by saying he's "black on the inside"...
Now, we all know Chris Cuomo from being on our screens every night as the presenter of CNN's Cuomo's Prime Time...
And he has established quite the career for himself over the years.
From working as a news anchor on Good Morning America to hosting his own radio show on SiriusXM, it's safe to say that Cuomo has done it all in the world of journalism...
And as is the case with the majority of high-profile journalists, he is rarely far away from controversy.
Take, for example, the harassment allegations made against his brother and New York Governor, Andrew Cuomo, last year.
>> @ChrisCuomo at the top of @CuomoPrimeTime tonight: "Obviously I am aware of what is going on with my brother. And obviously I cannot cover it because he is my brother. Now, of course CNN has to cover it. They have covered it extensively and they will continue to do so." pic.twitter.com/G49mZYTG4D
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) March 2, 2021
The journalist addressed the allegations made against his brother live on air, saying on Cuomo Prime Time:
"Obviously I am aware of what is going on with my brother. And obviously, I cannot cover it because he is my brother. Of course, CNN has to cover it and has done so extensively and will maintain that pace as the situation develops."
But this statement came after Cuomo had covered his brother for months starting in the early days of New York's battle with COVID-19...
All without a shred of purported objectivity.
Viewers were drawn to the act that was the Cuomo brothers, boosting New York's governor to celebrity status for his relatively sane handling of the pandemic. The pairing was such a conflict of interest that, as the New York Times' Ben Smith previously reported, it required CNN to roll back a rule they'd instituted in late 2013 when an interview between the Cuomos raised similar questions about ethics. Yikes.
And now...
Cuomo has landed himself in the firing line of Twitter after he made a very distasteful joke on air last week in regards to his colleague, Don Lemon.
People aren't happy...
Chris Cuomo just said to Don Lemon OUT LOUD on Wolf Blitzer’s CNN, “You know I’m Black on the inside,” and we had to turn off the television because I’m not here for that nonsense. @CNN needs to have some sensitivity training with their on-air personalities.
— RevMaryDande🏳️🌈 (@SisterMaryDande) March 6, 2021
Oh, Chris. Yikes.
— I expect Justice (@capeannsky) March 6, 2021
We are allies, we are not black.
@ChrisCuomo just said he was black on the inside. This spoilt, entitled guy raised in money and privilege, who is only on tv because of his surname.😡
— jfyfe (@jfyfe) March 6, 2021
Why in the fuck hasn't Chris Cuomo been fired or resigned yet?
— CJ (Makhaar) (@RealCeeJai) March 6, 2021
Yes, Chris Cuomo, not Andrew. His bias is on full display as a "newsman" and him continuing to be on the air is a huge black eye for @cnn - not that they aren't used to it.
The very reason I stopped watching #GoodTimes . The audacity to give us a black show then make the storyline that Black folks no matter how hard working , creative, educated, or talented you are, you will never get ahead @ChrisCuomo @donlemon . Love the actors but
— L G (@mumwise) March 6, 2021
I cringed when @ChrisCuomo said he was “black on the inside.” No. Even the POTUS regretted a similar comment, and you didn’t learn? Do better.
— Gerald Jackson (@Flyjax) March 6, 2021
Terrible. Just terrible.
— Manuel Guzman (@ManuelGuzman) March 7, 2021
Difficult to understand what it’s like to be black unless you are black.
— Sagitario🙏🏻🇺🇸😷STAND TALL😷🇺🇸💕 (@BerthaAliciaO11) March 6, 2021
Difficult to accept wage increase unless you make minimum wage.
Difficult to understand Public Assistance unless you are poor
STOP RACISM: STOP JUDGING
DID CHRIS CUOMO JUST SAY HES BLACK ON THE INSIDE?? MF?? pic.twitter.com/D7BZ2usA9r
— divya🦩 (@honeyadoreyou) March 6, 2021
Now why did I just see Chris Cuomo say "I'm black on the inside" on live TV pic.twitter.com/utMxjQmkG5
— sierra (@SierraWritesYA) March 6, 2021
So, what exactly did Cuomo say?
While presenting live on-air and handing over to CNN colleague Don Lemon, Cuomo was joking around by singing the the theme to 1970s TV show Good Times.
Laughing awkwardly with his eyes lowered, Lemon asked his fellow host how he knew the words to the series about a black family living in a public housing project in Chicago...
To which Cuomo replied with, "You know I'm black on the inside!"
Even though Lemon didn't seem phased by the comment and simply laughed it off...
This didn't stop the anger from spreading online.
You can watch the clip here:
CNN offered its own rendition of the Good Times theme song.@DonLemon: "How do you know the words to Good Times?"@ChrisCuomo: "You know I'm black on the inside." pic.twitter.com/Uc3NvOOIrN
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) March 7, 2021
What do you think? Do you think Cuomo's words were simply part of a harmless joke? Or do you believe that his words were a reflection of his ignorant attittude?