CNN anchor Anderson Cooper said that, shortly after the network fired Chris Cuomo, someone immediately reached out and asked if they had a chance at becoming Cuomo's replacement.
During an appearance Friday on Stephen Colbert's "Late Show," Cooper said that he had not learned of Cuomo's termination on Dec. 4 until he tuned into the news on TV.
And shortly after learning that CNN had fired Cuomo amid allegations that the former "Cuomo Primetime" host was more involved in the defense of his brother, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, against sexual harassment allegations than was previously realized, Cooper said he received a call from a colleague hoping to grab the coveted 9 p.m. time slot: Andy Cohen, who co-anchors CNN’s annual New Year’s Eve broadcasts alongside Cooper.
"Do you think I could get that show?" Cooper recalled Cohen asking him about the vacancy.
"I was like, 'Andy, you’ve got enough real estate in television,'" Cooper told Colbert.
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Cohen hosts "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen," on the Bravo network and is executive producer of the "Real Housewives" shows.
Cooper joked that Cohen "feels he is fully qualified to host a presidential debate because he hosts the 'Housewives' reunion."
Michael Smerconish has been hosting CNN's 9 p.m. broadcast since Cuomo’s termination.
.@andersoncooper speaks on his former colleague Chris Cuomo losing his job. #LSSC pic.twitter.com/VJZn1j83OQ
— The Late Show (@colbertlateshow) December 17, 2021
Cooper also told Colbert that he felt "terrible" for Cuomo after he heard of his firing but pointed out that there are consequences to be had for journalists who fail to follow journalistic ethics.
"Look, any time … I don’t want anything bad to happen to somebody who's a colleague and somebody who is a friend of mine, and I feel terrible for him and his family,’ Cooper said. "That being said, look, journalists have strict ethics and strict rules that we are to abide by and if you don’t abide by them, there are repercussions. And I wish Chris the best, and I’m sorry for how all of this played out. … It's a business with very big responsibilities and there are repercussions."
Chris Cuomo was fired by CNN on Dec. 4 following a review into allegations outlined in a report from the New York state attorney general's office, which showed that the anchor used his media sources to find information on women who accused his brother of sexual harassment and was in regular contact with the governor's top aide regarding his findings.
During the review, CNN was informed of "new allegations" that a former colleague of Cuomo's from their time at ABC News had accused him of sexual misconduct, leading the network to take immediate action in terminating his employment.
