Fox News's Sean Hannity has put network rivalry to one to side and come to the defense of Chris Cuomo after a profanity-laced video of the CNN anchor threatening a man at a bar in New York went viral.
Hannity, a long-time critic of CNN, defended Cuomo after he was filmed threatening to beat up a man—believed to be Donald Trump supporter—after he called him a "Fredo," saying his fellow news host has "zero to apologize for."
Cuomo became irate at the man for referring to him to as Fredo Corleone from The Godfather, describing it as a racist slur against Italians.
"B****** from the right call me Fredo. My name is Chris Cuomo. I'm an anchor on CNN," he said in the clip conservative media personality Brandon Straka first posted on his YouTube channel That's the Point with Brandon.
"Fredo is from The Godfather. He was a weak brother. And they use it as an Italian aspersion," Cuomo adds.
"Any of you Italian? It's a f****** insult to your people. It's an insult to your f****** people.
"It's like the N-word for us. Is that a cool f****** thing?"
Throughout the clip, the man Cuomo is arguing with repeatedly says he genuinely thought Cuomo's real name was Fredo.
According to Straka, the man claimed he was only aware of Cuomo because of The Rush Limbaugh Show, where the right-wing host repeatedly refers to him as Fredo.
"You did not think my name was f****** Fredo, don't be a liar," Cuomo says during the clip. "You want to be a man, stand up like a man... own what you said."
Cuomo then tells the man that he's "gonna have a f****** problem" if he continues to confront him. When the man asks what he will do, the CNN hosts replies: "I'll f****** ruin your s***."
"I'll f****** throw you down these stairs like a f****** punk...you're gonna call me Fredo, take a f****** swing."
Several people then step in between the pair to break up the argument.
Hannity was one of several high-profile people to defend Cuomo over the clip. "I say good for @ChrisCuomo," he tweeted. "He's out with his 9 year old daughter, and his wife, and this guy is being a jackass in front of his family.
"Imho Chris Cuomo has zero to apologize for. He deserves the apology."
Anthony Scaramucci, the former White House Communications Director, added: "Very proud of @ChrisCuomo this happens all the time. [Fredo slur is] quite racist."
In a statement, CNN said: "Chris Cuomo defended himself when he was verbally attacked with the use of an ethnic slur in an orchestrated setup. We completely support him."
Warning: Video contains strong language.
