Chris Cuomo is set to begin a weeklong vacation from his prime-time CNN talk show on Friday, a break that the host described as a previously scheduled absence planned around his birthday.
“Every year I take my birthday week off,” Mr. Cuomo, who will turn 51 on Monday, said on a CNN podcast. “I’m looking forward to it.”
The vacation comes as Mr. Cuomo’s brother, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York, faces widespread calls to resign after a report by the New York State attorney general on Tuesday detailed multiple sexual harassment accusations against him.
Chris Cuomo has not once mentioned his brother or the scandal on his 9 p.m. program since the release of the report, which has otherwise received extensive coverage on CNN. He apologized earlier this year for discussing strategy with Governor Cuomo’s aides on how to respond to the scandal; the host called his actions a “mistake” and pledged not to discuss his brother on-air.
On Thursday’s episode of “The Handoff” — a weekly podcast that Chris Cuomo co-hosts with his network colleague Don Lemon — Mr. Cuomo told Mr. Lemon that he was looking forward to his time away.
“I’ll be right here at home because I don’t know why I’d go anywhere else than the East End of Long Island during the summer. It’s the most beautiful place in the world,” said Mr. Cuomo, who is a fixture of the Hamptons summer scene, along with Mr. Lemon. “I’ll be fishing, I’ll be hanging out with you, and I’ll be making memories with the kids.”
Mr. Lemon said he was “cooking up” plans for the week with Mr. Cuomo’s wife, Cristina.
“I’m sure you’ll make the plan and I’ll pay for it,” Mr. Cuomo joked.
The ongoing scandal involving Governor Cuomo went unmentioned.
Michael Smerconish, a regular substitute for Chris Cuomo, is scheduled to host Friday’s edition of “Cuomo Prime Time.” Chris Cuomo also did not appear on the Friday episode of his SiriusXM radio show; a substitute host said he was on vacation. CNN declined to comment beyond Mr. Cuomo’s comments on his podcast.
