International TV Academy rescinds Emmy awarded to Cuomo for COVID-19 briefings
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo holds Coronavirus briefing June 29, 2020 Credit: Office of the Governor/Don Pollard
One day after he left office as governor, Andrew M. Cuomo was stripped of another title Tuesday -- Emmy Award-winner.
Citing the sexual harassment investigation findings by New York Attorney General Letitia James, the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences released a statement Tuesday confirming it has rescinded the Emmy awarded Cuomo last fall for his daily briefings televised during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The International Academy announced today that in light of the New York Attorney General’s report, and Andrew Cuomo’s subsequent resignation as governor, it is rescinding his special 2020 International Emmy® Award," the academy said in its statement, adding: "His name and any reference to his receiving the award will be eliminated from International Academy materials going forward."
Cuomo was awarded an International Emmy award in Nov. 2020 for his televised briefings on the coronavirus pandemic that killed tens of thousands of New Yorkers.
International Academy President & CEO Bruce L. Paisner said Cuomo was being honored with the academy’s Founders Award for using his briefings to inform and calm the public. Previous recipients include former Vice President Al Gore, Oprah Winfrey, and director Steven Spielberg.
"The governor’s '111' daily briefings worked so well because he effectively created television shows, with characters, plot lines, and stories of success and failure," he said. "People around the world tuned in to find out what was going on, and 'New York tough' became a symbol of the determination to fight back."
Earlier this year, Cuomo had been dogged by multiple allegations of sexual harassment. The allegations led to a formal investigation by James' office which found this month that the three-term governor, son of former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo and brother of CNN TV personality Chris Cuomo, had sexually harassed 11 women and tried to retaliate against an accuser who went public with allegations.
During his resignation speech Monday, Cuomo, in a pretaped farewell address, took shots at legislators, progressive Democrats and the sexual harassment investigation that triggered his resignation — calling it "a political firecracker" intended to drive him from office.
Cuomo was replaced by Gov. Kathy Hochul, who became the first female governor of New York, in a ceremony at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday.
With Yancey Roy and AP
John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”
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