Originally posted Tuesday, August 13, 2019 by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog
In a video at a New York bar released Monday, CNN anchor Chris Cuomo took offense at an unidentified heckler who called him ‘Fredo,’ likening it as an Italian slur similar to the N-word for black people.
Cuomo told the man “Fredo” is a reference to a character Fredo Corleone in the 1972 film "The Godfather," considered "a weak brother."
The anchor’s heated exchange turned into a mass of cursing and a challenge to fight:
"I’ll (expletive) ruin your (expletive). I’ll (expletive) throw you down these stairs like a (expletive) punk … you’re gonna call me Fredo, take a (expletive) swing?"
The man did not take on the challenge. The video was sent to a right-wing YouTube channel host, who posted it.
While Donald Trump supported the heckler in a Tweet, his buddy and Fox News host Sean Hannity was Team Cuomo, was his employer CNN, who released this statement:
“Chris Cuomo defended himself when he was verbally attacked with the use of an ethnic slur in an orchestrated setup. We completely support him.”
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