Angela Rye, a political commentator and attorney, has accused her former CNN colleague Chris Cuomo of inappropriate behavior. During an episode of her podcast on iHeart, she hinted that he also contributed to her departure from the network. She recounted that back in 2021, Cuomo allegedly sent her a troubling text message about her bikini, which altered their work relationship.
During the first episode of her podcast Native Land Pod, Angela Rye, along with Tiffany Cross and Andrew Gillum, opened up about the distressing incident. Rye described it as one of the most humiliating experiences she has ever faced.
The political commentator recounted,
“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.”
Rye continue,
“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.”
It’s not surprising that Rye’s accusations against Cuomo are not the first. He has previously been accused of similar behavior in the past.
Rye mentioned that she didn’t reply to Cuomo’s remark about her bikini, and later he texted her again with an idea for his show. However, she questioned the sincerity of the idea because it came after the disturbing text exchange.
She later asked him,
“if he still wanted to discuss his work idea despite him mentioning tinsel bikini and tinsel bottom along the way.”
Rye revealed that on Jan. 21, 2021, CNN notified her that they would not be renewing her contract. When questioned about whether the incident with Cuomo led to her termination, Rye responded to her podcast co-hosts, saying,
“I don’t know if [he had me fired] or not, but that is certainly what I believe now.”
During the podcast episode, she mentioned that Cuomo, who currently works for NewsNation, contacted her last year from a different number and inquired if she was still upset about his bikini remark.
She expressed,
“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.”
#Clique, what are your thoughts?
