Hush money? CNN has reportedly offered Chris Cuomo $9 million not to go through with lawsuit, but will that shut him up?

Sarah D | 1:18 PM on February 04, 2022

Remember this intriguing scoop about Chris Cuomo in the wake of Jeff Zucker’s resignation from CNN?

Potentially important: I’m told CNN received a litigation hold letter recently from Chris Cuomo lawyers, demanding, among other things, preservation of all communications between Zucker, comms chief Allison Gollust, and Andrew Cuomo.

— Matthew Belloni (@MattBelloni) February 2, 2022

Our interest was officially piqued.

And then yesterday, we learned that CNN’s investigation had reportedly revealed that Zucker and his lady friend Allison Gollust had not only orchestrated Chris Cuomo’s interviews with Gollust’s former boss and then-Governor Andrew Cuomo, but that they had coached Andrew Cuomo for his COVID briefings.

Guy Benson quipped “no wonder Chris is suing”:

They fired Chris for (unethically) helping his brother’s political operation (damage control re scandal) and lying about it. But this report suggests they themselves were also advising Andrew Cuomo’s political operation, in a separate capacity. No wonder Chris is suing.

— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) February 3, 2022

Yes, well, about that …

Chris Cuomo 'to get $9m from CNN to stop him filing lawsuit' https://t.co/NQIm5fYAbU

— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) February 4, 2022

Fired CNN anchor Chris Cuomo, who was hoping to secure an $18 million lump sum payout following his departure last year, has been told to set his sights lower, with him unlikely to receive anything more than around $9 million from the cable news network.

AT&T, CNN’s parent company, is said to be in negotiations to reach a deal that would see the fired anchor receive half of the $18million he had been vying for before Jeff Zucker’s unexpected resignation Wednesday.

…

Chris was to looking to get paid out for the remainder of his contract, but Zucker was sticking firm and refusing, arguing that he brought the network into disrepute.

However, Zucker’s sudden exit after nine years as CNN’s leader means the goalposts have now shifted once again.

“Sources say that Cuomo was planning to come forward with a lawsuit that would have detailed how Zucker and Gov Cuomo had a far deeper relationship.
One allegation suggests Cuomo received one-to-one media coaching from Zucker and his second-in command, Gollust.”

— Janice Dean (@JaniceDean) February 4, 2022

We can’t help but wonder, though, how long Chris Cuomo’s grace period for CNN will last, particularly if he’s only getting half the payout he was asking for.