New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has already been touting his leadership during the coronavirus pandemic amid his book tour, but now he'll also be an Emmy winner in the process.
The International Emmy Awards announced on Friday that the Democrat will receive its Founder's Award "in recognition of his leadership during the Covid19 pandemic & his masterful use of TV to inform & calm people around the world."
“The Governor’s 111 daily briefings worked so well because he effectively created television shows, with characters, plot lines, and stories of success and failure,” International Academy President & CEO, Bruce Paisner said in a press release. “People around the world tuned in to find out what was going on, and New York tough became a symbol of the determination to fight back.”
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According to the Emmys, its Founder's Award is given to those who "cross cultural boundaries to touch our common humanity." Past recipients include former Vice President Al Gore, Oprah Winfrey, and Steven Spielberg. The award will officially be presented to Cuomo on November 23.
The announcement sparked a significant backlash and mockery on social media, many of them invoking his controversial nursing home policy that has been linked to the deaths of thousands of elderly residents.
"This is shameful," "The View" co-host Meghan McCain reacted.
"if we’re lucky, Andrew Cuomo will receive a Nobel Peace Prize for his work in ending suffering in New York’s nursing homes," Washington Examiner's Siraj Hashmi quipped.
"I am beginning to think most of our society's 'awards' aren't really offered in recognition of specific acts of excellence anymore," MSNBC contributor Noah Rothman concluded.
"This award makes sense because Cuomo isn't actually a competent, empathic Governor -- he just plays one on TV," progressive activist Max Berger slammed New York's top Democrat.
"Please stay tuned through the 18 hour 'In Memoriam' segment," conservative commentator David Burge knocked the TV Academy.
"This is Obama Nobel Prize stuff," Daily Beast politics editor Sam Stein said.
"A masterful use of television, indeed," Daily Caller investigative reporter Andrew Kerr tweeted along with an image of the prop comedy act Cuomo participated in with his CNN anchor brother Chris Cuomo.
"Andrew Cuomo deserves to be on trial for the elderly people his nursing home order directly murdered. Instead, he's getting an Emmy," The Federalist publisher Ben Domenech wrote.
In the early weeks of the pandemic, Cuomo was hailed by Democrats and members of the media for his daily briefings tackling the coronavirus. However, the governor has since been scrutinized for his order that required nursing homes in his state to admit COVID-19 patients. While that order has since been reversed, the policy has been heavily attributed to New York's record-breaking death toll, which includes many senior citizens living in nursing homes.
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Cuomo, as well as New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, have also been slammed for their crackdown of Orthodox Jews and recent closure of NYC schools.