CNN's Chris Cuomo gets into a shouting match with a man who called him 'Fredo'
- A verbal confrontation between CNN host Chris Cuomo and an alleged heckler was filmed and shared across right-wing circles on Monday.
- The video was uploaded to YouTube by a right-wing vlogger and shows Cuomo calling an alleged heckler a "punk," after he called him "Fredo."
- The right-wing vlogger's YouTube channel, which includes numerous videos of violent confrontations with sensational headlines, almost exclusively depicts Democrats in a negative light.
- Cuomo's weeknight program "Cuomo Prime Time" did not air on Monday evening. A CNN spokesperson told INSIDER that Cuomo was on a pre-scheduled break and that the company would support him.
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A verbal confrontation between CNN host Chris Cuomo and an alleged heckler was filmed and shared across right-wing circles on Monday.
The video was uploaded to YouTube by a right-wing vlogger and shows Cuomo calling the alleged heckler a "punk." Cuomo threatens to throw him down the stairs for allegedly calling him "Fredo."
Cuomo, who is of Italian heritage, characterized the name as an "aspersion" and said it was a disparaging term for people of Italian descent. The term is in reference to Fredo Corleone, a character who betrays one of the leading characters in the "Godfather" movie series.
"It's a f------ insult to your people," Cuomo said. "It's like the 'N-word' for us."
"Don't f------ insult me like that," Cuomo later added.
The man responding to Cuomo claimed he "thought it was your name."
The vlogger claimed the video was sent by "a fan of news," who claimed to only know Cuomo by "Fredo" after references by conservative talk-show host Rush Limbaugh's show. Limbaugh frequently disparages Cuomo and calls him "Fredo" on his radio show.
The video was uploaded by the right-wing YouTube channel "THAT'S THE POINT with Brandon," which describes itself as bringing "Honest True opinions." The channel uploads numerous videos of violent confrontations with sensational headlines, almost exclusively depicting Democrats in a negative light.
Cuomo's weeknight program "Cuomo Prime Time" did not air on Monday evening. A CNN spokesperson told Business Insider that Cuomo was on a pre-scheduled break and that the company would support him.
"Chris Cuomo defended himself when he was verbally attacked with the use of an ethnic slur in an orchestrated setup," a CNN spokesperson said in a statement. "We completely support him."
Following the release of the video, Cuomo was called out on Twitter for equating "Fredo" to the "N-word."