Woman Accuses CNN Anchor Chris Cuomo of Sexual Harassment

A woman has accused CNN anchor Chris Cuomo of sexual harassment. In an essay published on Friday in The New York Times, Shelley Ross wrote how the journalist had groped one of her buttocks. Ross worked with Cuomo for almost 20 years as an executive producer at the ABC television network. She claims the incident occurred in 2005 in a bar.

"He walked toward me and greeted me with a strong bear hug while lowering one hand to firmly grab and squeeze the cheek of my buttock. 'I can do this now that you’re no longer my boss' he said to me with a kind of cocky arrogance. 'No you can’t' I said, pushing him off me at the chest while stepping back, revealing my husband, who had seen the entire episode at close range. We quickly left", Ross wrote.

She stressed that Cuomo’s behaviour wasn’t sexual in nature. "His form of sexual harassment was a hostile act meant to diminish and belittle his female former boss in front of the staff”, Ross wrote.

Soon after the incident took place she reportedly received an e-mail from Cuomo. "Now that I think of it…I am ashamed…" reads the email, as per a screenshot posted in the essay.

In the purported email Cuomo, explains that his behaviour was the result of him being glad to see his colleague, although he admits that his actions were inappropriate.

"And as a husband I can empathize with not liking to see my wife patted as such…so pass along my apology to your very good and noble husband…and I apologize to you as well, for even putting you in such a position", reads the email.

Enablers Should Be Held Accountable

Shelley Ross admits that she bears no grudge against her former colleague, saying she doesn’t want him to lose his job at CNN. But at the same time she draws attention to the fact that an independent inquiry conducted by Attorney General Letitia James revealed that Chris Cuomo was part of a group of people (Ross called them "enablers") who helped his brother Andrew Cuomo respond to sexual harassment allegations.

The former executive producer stresses that she wants Chris Cuomo to be held accountable for his actions. But unlike other people on the list, who were fired or forced to step down from high posts following the release of the attorney general’s report, Ross wants Cuomo to "repent journalistically".

"I would, however, like to see him … agree on air to study the impact of sexism, harassment and gender bias in the workplace, including his own, and then report on it. He could host a series of live town hall meetings, with documentary footage, produced by women with expert consultants. Call it ‘The Continuing Education of Chris Cuomo’ and make this a watershed moment instead of another stain on the career of one more powerful male news anchor", Ross wrote

Responding to a request for comment from The New York Times, Chris Cuomo said the following:

"As Shelley acknowledges, our interaction was not sexual in nature. It happened 16 years ago in a public setting when she was a top executive at ABC. I apologized to her then, and I meant it".

The news is likely to add pressure on the Cuomo family, as earlier this year Andrew Cuomo, who was governor of New York for over 10 years, was accused of sexual harassment by 11 women. He categorically denied the accusations, although he admitted that the complaints could have been the result of cultural and generational misunderstandings, or his words being interpreted as "an unwanted flirtation".

His legal team argued that the sexual harassment complaints were part of a plot to oust him from office. Cuomo faced widespread criticism, including from his fellow Democratic Party members and even President Joe Biden, who called on him to resign. However, the Democrat governor was defiant and tendered his resignation only several days after an independent inquiry conducted by Attorney General Letitia James concluded that he did sexually harass at least 11 women. The report also found that the politician’s team had tried to discredit one of the women who accused him of sexual harassment.