Chris Cuomo has found himself embroiled in a few notable controversies over the past several years. Among them are his termination from CNN in 2021 as well as a matter involving sexual assault allegations, which occurred that same year. Now, someone else is making claims against the noted newsman, and it’s someone he worked with during his time on the Cable News Network (which experienced a CEO shakeup last summer). Angela Rye, who shared the sentiments during a recent discussion, that Cuomo created an “embarrassing” situation for her when he previously commented on a bikini post of hers. Rye specifically alleges that her former colleague referred to her as “tinsel crotch.”
Angela Rye worked with CNN for several years, before she was ultimately dropped from the network in 2021. During her stint with the company, she served as a regular contributor for Cuomo Prime Live. Rye just began co-hosting the Native Land Podcast alongside Andrew Gillum and Tiffany Cross and made her claim against Cuomo (who currently works at NewsNation) during the premiere episode. She did so in an attempt to explain why she supposedly parted ways with the network. The 44-year-old news pundit said it stemmed from a situation that happened on New Year’s Day 2021, when she dropped the aforementioned post. While on the podcast (which was shared to YouTube), she laid out the reported matter as such:
It all began on New Year’s Day [2021] when I posted a picture of myself looking forward to the New Year in a gold sequin bikini on Instagram. Cuomo screen-shot the image and said, ‘Happy New Year, tinsel crotch.’ Stunned, I read and reread the message a dozen times, trying to understand if I somehow brought this on myself. Since whatever you post on social [media] is fair game, right? I teared up, like now, and then the tears flowed, I felt like the safest place I had on a show on CNN had been compromised. I ignored it, just hoping it would go away or even more, did I imagine it? But I didn’t.
The ESPN reporter recalled that Chris Cuomo allegedly tried to text her “hello” shortly after and avoided attempts to discuss work with her over text. Supposedly, Cuomo was looking to touch base with her about a new segment idea for the show. As she put it, Cuomo “was suddenly excited about a prominent role for me where I would ‘check the left.’” Angela Rye said she eventually touched base with him about a week later to see “if he still wanted to discuss his work idea despite him mentioning tinsel bikini and tinsel bottom along the way.”
The former BET personality also says that on January 21, 2021, she was contacted by the CNN exec who oversees contributors and was told that her contract was not being renewed. She was purportedly told that this was due to the network “focusing more on COVID coverage and less on politics.” She says that she knew it was “a lie,” as two other Black female contributors were hired for half her rate. While summing up the matter, the podcast co-host said, “In 10 short days, what felt like a ride to the promised land turned into quicksand.” As of this writing, neither CNN nor the former Cuoco Prime Time host have responded to these comments.
CNN's Chris Cuomo Clarifies 'I Don't Like What I Do Professionally' Comment
Ahead of Chris Cuomo getting picked up by NewsNation, he came under fire in May 2021 due to a matter involving his brother, former New York governor Andrew Cuomo. Andrew was facing sexual harassment claims at the time and, at the time Chris said that he would not report on the matter due to the conflict of interest that was present. (Chris, after his bout with COVID, did notably interview Andrew in 2020.) It was learned later in 2021, however, that the political pundit had assisted in making key decisions for his brother’s response to the accusations and was later found to have used media resources to get information on the accusers. Cuomo, who has since denied the assertions, was indefinitely suspended from CNN that November due to the findings. And, after the formal review was officially completed in December, he was let go by the network.
Chris Cuomo is currently in the process of suing CNN for $125 million and has gone after some of the company’s media personalities in the process. Additionally, Cuomo has also opened up about his headspace following his ousting, saying that he was “going to kill everybody.”
As for how the claims from Angela Rye might affect his professional status at this point, that remains to be seen. Rye, for her part, thanked her former collaborator for the platform, though also said it was “not worth the emotional turmoil” and has no plans to work with him again.
