Cuomo Swings at New 9PM Rivals Maddow, Hannity: ‘Don’t Know Where Their Partisan Fights Are Getting Us’
As Chris Cuomo prepares his jump to prime time on CNN, he’s taking a shot at his new competition for using their programming to gin up partisan quarrels.
Cuomo spoke to Variety about the upcoming launch of Cuomo Prime Time — where he will take over the second hour of Anderson Cooper‘s show and square off with Sean Hannity of Fox News and MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow. Cuomo said his new rivals will be formidable competition in the ratings and he has “huge respect for their success,” but he also offered this critique as well:
“I don’t know where their partisan fights are getting us.”
Cuomo said his show is likely to have a big focus on debate — as he plans to frequently have two guests on simultaneously, and will moderate as they have at each other.
From Variety:
“Yes, I like being aggressive. I don’t believe in faking the funk. I believe in being straight. You have to hold people to answer the questions. There is too much evasiveness, too much pandering, too much playing with the facts. You have to cut out the bias. It has to be a mix of brains and balls – that’s what it has to be. You have to be ready to look people in the eye and ask them things they aren’t talking to and you have to swing to check them when they want to move on. That’s isn’t going to make you popular all of the time.”
Cuomo recently took to Twitter and said his show will also be about scrutinizing those in power.
Not leaving @NewDay yet, and show will be strong with @JohnBerman and Alisyn and the best production team there is – but life is change. The need and the challenge at night are great…and I love the challenge of being in the main arena and testing power and pushing for progress. https://t.co/UGM0svaYfC
— Christopher C. Cuomo (@ChrisCuomo) March 14, 2018
[Image via screengrab]
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