CNN’s Allison Gollust Denies That She Advised Chris Cuomo On How to Help Gov. Brother

CNN marketing chief Allison Gollust’s departure earlier this month followed WarnerMedia determining that she had advised Chris Cuomo on how to help brother Andrew Cuomo after the then-New York governor was accused of sexual harassment, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday.

Gollust’s resignation from CNN was announced Feb. 15 in a staff memo from WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar that cited “violations of Company policies” found by a third-party investigation but did not offer specifics. Her exit followed Jeff Zucker stepping down as chairman of WarnerMedia news and sports, and the president of CNN, on Feb. 2 after he was asked about a personal relationship with her.

Related Stories

Business

David Leavy Tapped as COO of CNN

News

CNN's Anderson Cooper Addresses Trump Town Hall Debacle: "You Have Every Right to Be Outraged"

At that time, Gollust confirmed that her relationship with Zucker, with whom she said had shared a friendly and professional relationship for over 20 years, had become romantic during the COVID-19 pandemic. She said she regretted “that we didn’t disclose it at the right time.”

In response to the Journal story, Gollust’s representative, Risa Heller, shared a statement with The Hollywood Reporter dismissing the claims against Gollust as “far-fetched” and part of a smear campaign.

“Allison Gollust never offered advice or counsel to Andrew Cuomo,” Heller’s statement read. “Period. If she wanted to advise the governor, she could have called or texted him directly (she didn’t). Now 10 days after she resigned, WarnerMedia has offered their fourth reason (or maybe fifth? it’s hard to keep track) for why Allison resigned — the far-fetched notion she was laundering covert advice to the Governor through casual conversations with a colleague is patently ridiculous.”

The statement continued, “These are innocuous, mundane conversations that are being spun into a nefarious tale. The continued retaliatory smear campaign against a woman who spent nine years serving as the fiercely loyal steward of CNN’s brand, integrity and journalism is despicable, and being used as retrofitted justification for an unmerited dismissal. It is misleading and wrong.”

Representatives for CNN declined to comment.

Chris Cuomo’s termination as CNN anchor was announced Dec. 4 after an outside law firm reviewed his conduct relating to brother Andrew, who announced his resignation as governor in August.