CNN anchor Chris Cuomo announced on his nightly program Monday he had come out of self-quarantine in the basement of his home after testing positive for the coronavirus last month.
But critics on social media were quick to point out the video he showed of his “official” release from the basement was not the first time he had left quarantine.
“Alright here it is, the official reentry,” Cuomo said on a video played during his show Monday. “This is what I’ve been dreaming of literally for weeks.”
The anchor greets his wife and children, waving to them instead of offering a hug or a kiss because “he’s still a little scared,” although he has been cleared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, he said.
Cuomo was spotted outside by a man riding a bicycle in Southampton earlier in April, according to the New York Post.
“Who the hell are you?! I can do what I want!” Cuomo reportedly told the man when he confronted him.
Media critics seized on the video of Cuomo for what they claim is dishonesty.
The extent to which CNN has adopted reality TV values here is pretty remarkable. Including eliding the controversy over Cuomo’s travel. https://t.co/AOS1spHYSR
— Ben Smith (@benyt) April 21, 2020
Somebody ask the governor if CNN should have aired his ne’er-do-well brother’s emergence from a fake basement quarantine after he spent Easter at a friend’s house in a different town yelling at passers-by.https://t.co/A8pQrPVZdz https://t.co/lfhyX3TnuV
— Phil Kerpen (@kerpen) April 21, 2020
If Cuomo was seen out and about while supposedly quarantined for COVID-19, is this video an apple or banana? https://t.co/JeJ4gWWU2b
— Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) April 21, 2020
Schmuckhttps://t.co/WEJC1eVN2w
— Mark R. Levin (@marklevinshow) April 21, 2020
Cuomo has continued to broadcast from the basement of his home as social distancing and stay-at-home orders in New York are not set to expire until May 15.
