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‘They’re both a joke’: Cuomo brothers absolutely reamed for stunningly tone-deaf nasal swab ‘joke’

May 21, 2020 | | Print Article

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CNN anchor Chris Cuomo was slammed along with his brother, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, for failing to address real issues and resorting to cringe-worthy comedy on the air.

The brothers joked about a recent coronavirus test but failed to say one thing about the controversial deaths of thousands of nursing home residents in New York, sparking immediate backlash for the tone-deaf segment on CNN Wednesday.


(Source: CNN)

Even as the Democratic governor is facing increasing scrutiny and criticism over the deaths of nearly 5,800 elderly people from COVID-19 in nursing homes in his state, he sat down with his little brother for a softball interview that devolved into a comedy sketch which they continued to have fun with on social media.

“Which swab was it,” the CNN host asked in a tweet with the video portion of “Cuomo Primetime,” in which he joked with his brother about the recent coronavirus test he took on camera as a nurse inserted a cotton swab into his nostril.

“Is it true that this was the swab that the nurse was actually using on you?” Chris Cuomo asked Wednesday, holding an oversized cotton swab. He followed up by presenting more, larger swabs and asking which one was needed for “that double-barrel shotgun that you have mounted on the front of your pretty face.”

The older Cuomo shot back on Twitter with another response to his brother’s jab.

“It’s well known that I have a tiny, button nose. Please stick to the facts on your show, little brother,” he wrote, missing the obvious paradox of referring to “facts” on the CNN show.

Cuomo came under fire for a New York rule which required nursing homes to receive residents who had tested positive for coronavirus, thereby allowing infected persons to potentially harm the rest of the facility’s occupants and staff. The requirement was dropped through an executive order the governor signed on May 11 which stopped hospitals from sending the infected patients back to nursing homes.

At one point in the CNN conversation, Cuomo touted New York’s coronavirus testing capabilities, and how the tests have been used in prisons and nursing homes. But the moment went by without so much as a blink from the younger Cuomo who did not press the issue or bring up the criticisms.

“CNN’s coverage of Andrew Cuomo has been consistent with much of the media, focus on the glowing verbiage and ignore the catastrophic mishandling of nursing homes that led to thousands of deaths,” William Jacobson, a Cornell Law School professor and media critic, told Fox News.

“This problem is compounded by a serious conflict of interest arising from the relationship between Chris Cuomo, one of CNN’s highest-profile news personalities, and his brother the Governor,” Jacobson said. “Chris Cuomo should not be allowed to cover or comment on air about his brother, and CNN should appoint someone to monitor and review coverage of Andrew Cuomo to prevent this conflict of interest from bleeding over to other news coverage.”

Fox News senior meteorologist Janice Dean called out the media for refusing to hold the Democratic governor accountable, or even challenge him on the controversial issue. Both of Dean’s in-laws died of COVID-19 in a New York nursing home, and she confronted MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow recently for turning a blind eye to the events happening in her own state. She addressed the issue again in a tweet on Wednesday.

Dean commented on the Cuomo comedy show as well.

“Awww. @NYGovCuomo is auditioning for a new comedy show with @ChrisCuomo on @CNN. Of course the Gov didn’t address the thousands of deaths from COVID-19 in nursing homes in New York. (Roughly 20 percent of all deaths in our state),” she tweeted. “Enjoy the giant swab!”

Both Cuomos were slammed on social media for the attempted comedy segment Wednesday and for the pass the governor received – again – on the network.

“Instead of asking his brother, @NYGovCuomo why he decided to pack COVID patients into nursing homes, killing untold amounts of people, @ChrisCuomo pulled out oversized, prop cotton swabs to mock how big his brother’s nose was,” Nicholas Fondacaro of the Media Research Center, tweeted. “This is the state of “journalism” on @CNN. Pathetic!”

Former CNN producer Steve Krakauer quipped, “28,000 dead New Yorkers, and it’s ‘Keeping Up With The Cuomos’ on CNN…”

“It’s a running battle to see which Cuomo brother is more useless. But one has a body count in the thousands,” journalist Dan Gainor tweeted.

 

 

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