• by Wayne Friedman , December 1, 2021

CNN has suspended Chris Cuomo -- the network’s regularly top-viewed prime-time anchor -- because he tried to help his brother, the former New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo, combat alleged sexual-misconduct issues.

Transcripts from the New York Attorney General’s office showed Chris Cuomo attempted to find new information from other reporters about the sexual-harassment accusers of Andrew Cuomo in order to help prepare the Governor’s defense team.

Andrew Cuomo resigned his position in August.

A statement from CNN said: “When Chris admitted to us that he had offered advice to his brother’s staff, he broke our rules and we acknowledged that publicly... However, these documents point to a greater level of involvement in his brother’s efforts than we previously knew.”

CNN says Cuomo is suspended indefinitely pending further evaluation.

In October, “Cuomo Prime Time with Chris Cuomo,” which airs in the key prime-time time slot of 9 p.m., averaged 826,000 Nielsen-measured total viewers -- the network’s highest-rated program in total viewers.

Projections from iSpot.tv show “Cuomo Prime Time” pulled in $30.6 million in national TV advertising, resulting in 8.5 billion impressions, from November 29, 2020 to November 29, 2021.

CNN announced on Tuesday night that a second hour of “Anderson Cooper 360” would air in place of “Cuomo Prime Time.”