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CNN host Chris Cuomo, who is recovering from coronavirus, decided on Tuesday that he liked his job, contradicting what the “Cuomo Prime Time” namesake said only 24 hours before.
“I don’t like what I do, professionally, I've decided,” Cuomo said Monday on his SiriusXM show. “I like doing this show, I like talking to you guys, but I don’t value indulging irrationality, hyper-partisanship, I don’t think it’s worth my time.”
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Cuomo even told listeners that being able to defend himself against critics matters “more than making millions of dollars a year” as the public face of CNN, a role that doesn't allow him to go around beating people up.
Cuomo, who collects a hefty salary while millions of Americas file for unemployment as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and the country spirals into a possible recession, had a sudden change of heart in time for Tuesday’s episode of his radio show.
"I have never been in a better position, professionally, than I am in right now," Cuomo told listeners on Tuesday.
“They've been so supportive of me in ways I could never have imagined. ... I've never had a group of people professionally care about me the way they have shown. I'll never be able to repay them, but I'll try hard to do so. I've never been more grateful. I've never been on a better team,” Cuomo added. “I love where I am, I love the position that I've been given, and I love who I'm doing it with.”
Cuomo also praised CNN Worldwide President Jeff Zucker and said he recently signed a long-term contract extension. Cuomo said that his comments on Monday were taken out of context and he simply wanted to tell viewers he has “legitimate questions" about being a cable news host in the current environment.
“It is frustrating to do this job, in an environment where people are not interested and open. It is hard to practice journalism when people are so intent on believing what they want to believe, for political advantage,” he said. “It makes you question, is it worth the effort?”
He also issued a bizarre denial of his own comments, according to The Hollywood Reporter (THR), which reported portions of Cuomo's comments that were not published on SiriusXM's website.
"It's not true," Cuomo reportedly said Tuesday about his comments that were captured Monday on audio and widely reported. "I never said it. I never meant it."
CNN did not immediately respond when asked if Cuomo was encouraged to backtrack by network executives.
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Since announcing he tested positive for coronavirus, Cuomo has said he suffered from significant fevers, nightmares, hallucinations, tremors, chills and body aches.
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“It was like somebody was beating me like a piñata,” he said on air. “I was shivering so much … I chipped my tooth.”
CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta has urged him to take a break and get some rest, but Cuomo has resisted calls to step away from the camera.
"I'll take care of myself," he responded to the medical advice.
Cuomo’s older brother, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, has emerged as a key figure in the fight against the pandemic. The governor has regularly appeared on his brother’s show and the duo’s playful banter has been praised by some, but criticized by others.
Even liberal Washington Post media columnist Margaret Sullivan recently wrote a piece headlined, “The Cuomo brothers put on quite a show. Should the journalism-ethics police shut it down?”
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Meanwhile, the governor revealed Monday that President Trump has repeatedly asked him about the recovery of the CNN anchor during an appearance on “The Howard Stern Show.”
Cuomo was asked if he thought that Trump was "happy" that the liberal anchor, who is an outspoken critic of the president, was diagnosed with the virus out of spite.
The governor responded to Stern's question with a firm "no" and said that Trump expresses concern over the anchor's health despite the acknowledgment of a "confrontational relationship" between Trump and his brother.
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"The president always makes a point of saying to me, 'How is Chris? Is he doing OK?' And that's not in his usual character," Cuomo told Stern.
Fox News’ Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this report.
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