Chris Cuomo’s 2013 interview with Amanda Knox is making the rounds on social media as Chris’ brother, New York governor Andrew Cuomo faces calls to resign after a report found he sexually harassed several women. This comes just days after Knox called out Matt Damon and the director of the actor’s latest film Stillwater for taking elements of her story. Chris’ interview, which is nearly a decade old, has been criticized for focusing on the more salacious aspects of Knox’s story, though there is some context for his overtly sexual questions.
Renewed Interest In Amanda Knox Case Brings Censure For Chris Cuomo
Last night, The Daily Show, hosted by Trevor Noah, closed out the show with its usual “Moment of Zen” segment. The latest moment was titled “Interviews That Didn’t Age Well!” and featured CNN anchor Chris Cuomo interviewing Amanda Knox, who was accused in an Italian court of murdering her roommate Meredith Kercher in 2007 and served four years in prison before her conviction was overturned.
Controversial Clip Resurfaces As NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo Stands Accused Of Sexual Misconduct
Knox, who has maintained her innocence, sat down with Cuomo in 2013 for the interview, which was roundly criticized by viewers at the time for the blatantly sexual themes of the questions. Now the clip shown by The Daily Show has revitalized the controversial interview at a time when another prominent member of Chris’ family, his older brother Andrew Cuomo, faces a report from the New York attorney general that claims he sexually harassed several female employees.
This clip has also gone viral as interest has renewed in Knox’s case after she blasted Stillwater director Tom McCarthy for using her story to inspire the new film, with some major differences which she claims once again put her reputation in jeopardy. The just over a minute clip opens with Chris Cuomo asking Knox, “Were you into deviant sex? Insensitive question, but hey, we gotta get to what it is. This fuels the doubt. Were you into that kind of experimentation?”
The clip then jumps to Chris stating, “That’s the theory. Knox is into some freaky sexual things.” The sexual questioning continued as Chris questioned, “Did you have any type of experimental activities there you’re embarrassed to talk about?” Knox’s answer, “No, I’ve never–” was interrupted as Chris further inquired, “No group activities?” Knox responded firmly, “I’ve never taken part in an orgy.” Near the end of the video, Chris said, “Big question, the prosecution bases most of its theory on this in terms of motive. We’ll get to the other parts. Motive: You’re a freak.”
Chris Cuomo Has Previously Stood By Controversial Interview
This is far from the first time this interview has stirred controversy. Viewers responded negatively when it first aired in 2013, which Chris acknowledged yet dismissed in comments to the New York Daily News. “If you want to get involved in controversy and if you want to be involved with news cycles, you can’t be shy,” he said, adding, “Controversy invites passion and big opinions. Amanda Knox is a hugely volatile case; that’s why it’s been covered the way it has been.” In a separate interview with Zap2It, he insisted, “Certainly, I had no intention at all to harass Amanda Knox, and she thanked me at the end of the interview.”
In 2019, as a response to a tweet, Chris Cuomo further claimed that his line of questioning, particularly the highly sexual questions, had been specifically requested by Knox herself. “[Knox] wanted to have the assumptions and angles that unfairly jailed her put to her directly so she could finally address them directly. She thanked me for the opportunity and asked for me after that for another interview,” an irate Chris tweeted.
Social Media Response Is Not Positive
Regardless of Chris Cuomo’s reasoning at the time, as well as Knox’s defense of the interview, the response to the interview has yet again been overwhelmingly negative. Several of the responses to the video clip featured users referencing Chris’ brother Andrew Cuomo’s sexual misconduct scandal.
Chris has defended his conduct in the interview in the past, most recently in 2019 where he was backed up by Amanda Knox herself, so it stands to reason that he will do so again. The timing of the renewed interest in this interview comes at an unfortunate time for the Cuomo family, however, so it will be interesting to see if he will make a new statement at this time regarding the interview.
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