CHRIS CUOMO

THE JOURNALIST WHO LIKES TO GET AFTER IT.

I was expecting him to be affable, especially since I’ve “known” him for so long through his extended run on television. Of course, he’s a comfortable conversationalist — he has been an on-screen journalist for well over two decades, with stints at Fox, ABC, CNN and now NewsNation, and he’s been one-on-one with some of the most impressive people on the planet.

We connected initially through a mutual love of cars and, as it turned out, we both have classic Pontiacs (he a 1969 Firebird convertible, me a 1957 Bonneville convertible). I guess it’s true — gearheads of a feather really do stick together.

Haute Living: Chris, your style has morphed from a guy in suits on network TV to a less formal, but still very well-spoken, broadcast journalist who’s as comfortable in the trenches as he is behind the desk.

Chris Cuomo: I think one can still be a professional no matter what he’s wearing. When I was on assignment in Iraq, I was reporting while fully battle-ready, helmet and all. That’s what viewers want from us — real, truthful information delivered in a way that everyone can understand.

HL: Our interview was via Zoom while you were at sea, returning from an ocean fishing trip, so it was like seeing you in your native habitat.

CC: I love the water, and I love fishing. Maybe it’s my Italian heritage coming through, but there’s nothing better for me than being on the ocean.

HL: Do you ever slow down?

CC: Not in the traditional sense. I like being a “man in motion.” I love great conversations and delivering the news with my perspective, which I’ve done to a degree for most of my broadcast career, and even more so during the last decade.

HL: What shines through in your reporting is your interest in — and great love for — humanity. Where did that come from?

CC: My grandparents, Andrea and Immaculata Cuomo and Carmelo and Maria Raffa, emigrated from Italy to New York in the early 1900s. My paternal grandparents raised a family while running a grocery store. Growing up, I was steeped in humanitarianism, supporting others, and embracing tolerance, enlightened thinking and liberal politics.

My parents, Mario and Matilda, both grew up in the same general area of New York (Queens and Brooklyn), where they aspired to greater things. My father’s challenges during an intolerant time, and his incredible successes, clearly motivated my drive and my desire to help make the world a better and more accepting place.

HL: There are lots of high achievers in your family. With those to look up to, what was your childhood dream?

CC: I held various jobs growing up, but my childhood dream was to play in a band.

HL: How did that turn out?

CC: I’ve had a lifelong love of music, but luckily, I did focus on academic pursuits. I received my undergraduate degree at Yale and then earned my law degree from Fordham University in 1995. However, my true career love was — and is — broadcast journalism, which I have been very happily doing since shortly after graduating from law school.

HL: When did you see your career reach the heights that you enjoy today?

CC: My work with ABC, as the network’s chief law and justice correspondent and co-anchor of 20/20, followed by my 2006 move to serving as a news anchor for Good Morning America, greatly elevated my journalistic visibility. Moving to CNN in 2013, I was proud to co-host the network’s New Day before helming my own show, Cuomo Prime Time, in 2018.

I then joined NewsNation (Nexstar) in 2022, where I am hosting Cuomo — the network’s most-watched program.

HL: This has been a very interesting and enjoyable conversation. I’m sorry that our time is ending. Any closing comments?

CC: I love what I do and am very happy to be doing it. My wonderful wife, Cristina, and I have been married since 2001. We live in East Hampton and have three great kids.

Aside from fishing, I love tinkering with old cars — a hobby I picked up from my older brother, Andrew — which today mostly manifests in the pure joy I experience when driving my cherry Firebird. I truly am a very lucky guy. I have a great life and a terrific family, a job that I love, time for the hobbies that recharge me, and I live in a country that I love.

Photos Courtesy Of NewsNation