Ousted CNN personality Chris Cuomo was apparently “eager” to become a volunteer firefighter but reportedly backed out due to the level of commitment, according to reports.
The former Cuomo Prime Time host, whom the network fired following reports of the Democrat using his resources to discredit the accusers of his brother, former New York Gov. Chris Cuomo, reportedly sought to work with the East Hampton Fire Department, putting in an application this year. According to the Confider, he went as far as meeting with the chiefs but later withdrew his application, balking at the level of commitment required to volunteer in that capacity.
The report described the former CNN personality as “eager” to join the volunteer squad.
EHFD Chief Duane Forrester told Confider, “It’s a very time-consuming thing.”
“There are monthly meetings and drills and you have to meet a percentage of your calls,” he said, explaining, “That’s why we don’t have many celebrities.”
CNN fired Cuomo in December due to his involvement in gathering info on the women accusing his brother of sexual harassment.
“Chris Cuomo was suspended earlier this week pending further evaluation of new information that came to light about his involvement with his brother’s defense,” the network said at the time.
“We retained a respected law firm to conduct the review, and have terminated him, effective immediately. While in the process of that review, additional information has come to light. Despite the termination, we will investigate as appropriate,” it added:
Despite initially telling CNN he was assisting the former governor as a brother — not an adviser — he told investigators he used his media connections to assist on his brother’s situation.
Rumors quickly swirled about a possible lawsuit coming from Cuomo, and that came to fruition months later.
In March, he launched a $125 million lawsuit against his former employer, which claimed that Cuomo’s termination was “based on … false claims that Cuomo violated CNN’s standards and practices assisting his brother, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, during a time of personal and political crisis.”
He named several former colleagues in lawsuit as well, including Jake Tapper, Don Lemon, and Jeff Zucker and Allison Gollust. The lawsuit claims that Zucker and Gollust actively “made a concerted effort to cement and strengthen the network’s ties to Gov. Cuomo and his administration and control his media presence for CNN’s exclusive benefit.”