Chris Cuomo Accused Of Sexually Harassing Former ABC Executive Producer In 2005, He Reacts: I Apologized To Her Then & I Meant It

Chris Cuomo Accused Of Sexually Harassing Former ABC Executive Producer In 2005, He Reacts: I Apologized To Her Then & I Meant It

On the heels of his brother, Andrew Cuomo, stepping down as New York governor amid sexual harassment claims, CNN anchor Chris Cuomo is now facing similar accusations.

Shelley Ross wrote in a revealing article that Chris Cuomo allegedly sexually harassed her during their time at ABC. She detailed his alleged behavior that she says took place at a work party in 2005. She noted that their coworkers and her husband were present.

“When Mr. Cuomo entered the Upper West Side 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.”

Ross worked as Chris Cuomo’s executive producer at Primetime Live prior to the incident. At the time of the encounter, she was the producer for an entertainment special. She added,

“’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.”

She explained that shortly after, Chris apologized via email with the subject line

“now that i think of it…i am ashamed…”

He acknowledged Ross’ “very good and noble” husband and added, “and I apologize to you as well, for even putting you in such a position…”

He then told her,

“Christian Slater got arrested for a (kind of) similar act (though borne of an alleged negative intent, unlike my own)…and as a husband I can empathize with not liking to see my wife patted as such….”

She added in her essay that she

“never thought that Mr. Cuomo’s behavior was sexual in nature. Whether he understood it at the time or not, his form of sexual harassment was a hostile act meant to diminish and belittle his female former boss in front of the staff.”

Chris has responded to her article and said,

“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.”