Angela Rye Says Former CNN Colleague Chris Cuomo Called Her ‘Tinsel Crotch’ In Inappropriate Text Message: ‘I Was Mad At Myself For Not Saying Anything Sooner’

Angela Rye, Chris Cuomo

Angela Rye Says Former CNN Colleague Chris Cuomo Called Her ‘Tinsel Crotch’ In Inappropriate Text Message: ‘I Was Mad At Myself For Not Saying Anything Sooner’

Chris Cuomo is at the center of allegations surrounding his behavior yet again.

Well-known political commentator/attorney Angela Rye recently accused her former CNN colleague Chris Cuomo of inappropriate work behavior. She also alluded that he played a part in her being let go from the Network. As you may recall, Angela Rye regularly appeared as a guest on Chris Cuomo’s now-canceled “Cuomo Prime Time” series. On-screen, the pair seemed to have a good rapport, however, their work relationship was forever changed in 2021 when Cuomo allegedly sent Angela Rye a very concerning text message about her bikini.

An emotional Rye revealed what occurred during the premiere episode of her iHeart podcast, “Native Land Pod,” which she co-hosts alongside Tiffany Cross and Andrew Gillum. According to Rye, the entire ordeal was “one of the most embarrassing, humiliating experiences” she’s ever had. She shared,

“It all began on New Year’s Day [2021] when I posted a picture of myself looking forward to the New Year in a gold sequin bikini on Instagram.”

She continued,

“Cuomo screen-shot the image and said, ‘Happy New Year, tinsel crotch.’ Stunned, I read and reread the message a dozen times, trying to understand if I somehow brought this on myself … I teared up, like now, and then the tears flowed, I felt like the safest place I had on a show on CNN had been compromised.”

Angela Rye’s 2021 bikini picture

Rye’s allegations may come as no shock as this isn’t the first time someone has accused Cuomo of sexual misconduct. In September 2021 – months after Rye allegedly received the inappropriate text – Shelley Ross, Cuomo’s former ABC News boss, accused him of sexual harassment in a New York Times op-ed. That same year another woman came forward with her own claims of sexual assault against the television journalist.

Rye said she didn’t respond to Cuomo’s comment on her bikini and a week or so later he texted again, this time to pitch an idea he had for his show. However, she was unsure how “genuine nature of this idea” was because “Cuomo came up with this particular segment idea after [the] text exchange that went woefully wrong.”

After taking some time to collect her thoughts, she eventually asked him,

“if he still wanted to discuss his work idea despite him mentioning tinsel bikini and tinsel bottom along the way.”

Angela Rye

Rye shared that later that month on January 21, 2021, CNN informed her that her contract would not be renewed. When asked by her podcast co-hosts if she feels the incident with Cuomo was why she was fired, Rye said,

“I don’t know if [he had me fired] or not, but that is certainly what I believe now.”

She also claimed during the podcast episode that sometime last year Cuomo, who now works for NewsNation, texted her from a new number asking if she was still mad about his bikini comment. Rye continued,

“I was, but I was really mad at myself. I was mad at myself for not saying anything sooner because I was lacking courage and preferring my financial well-being over my mental health, not standing up for women, who are often left powerless … I was mad at myself for protecting your image with the black women I know who loved you and looked forward to hearing your voice.”

She added,

“I was mad at myself for shrinking in the face of power when people depend on me to stand up, to speak up.”

Chris Cuomo

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