CNN's Chris Cuomo sees viewership plummet as brother remains embroiled in scandals

Viewership of CNN's "Cuomo Prime Time" has plummeted in recent months as host Chris Cuomo's brother, Democratic New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, faces increasing calls to resign over various scandals which have plagued his administration, Fox News reports.

"Cuomo Prime Time" peaked at 2.2 million average viewers during the second quarter of 2020 and finished the year with 1.8 million, making it the most-watched program on CNN. At the time, Cuomo regularly brought his brother on the program to discuss issues such as the coronavirus pandemic in New York. At the time, the Governor received widespread praise from liberal media outlets for his state's handling of the pandemic.

However, Cuomo is now facing intense scrutiny over both his handling of coronavirus and his treatment of staffers since the pandemic began. The Governor has been accused of covering up coronavirus deaths in nursing homes, underreporting the actual death toll by as much as 50 percent. He has also been accused of sexually harassing and assaulting several women, most of whom former aides. Even one current aide has accused the Governor of inappropriate conduct towards her.

As a result, CNN reinstated a ban on Chris Cuomo covering his brother, presumably out of concerns over conflict of interest. The ban had existed before, but an "exception" was granted during the early days of the pandemic.

Cuomo has acknowledged the scandals surrounding his brother, noting that he is "aware of what is going on with my brother. And obviously I cannot cover it because he is my brother."

It is unclear why he could not cover his brother's scandals but was perfectly capable of offering him a great deal of coverage during the heyday of his popularity.

Since the scandals broke and Cuomo was subsequently prohibited from platforming his brother, "Cuomo Prime Time" has seen a large decline in ratings. The program has averaged only 1.6 million viewers since the beginning of 2021, a decline of more than 25% since his program peaked nearly a year earlier.

The drop in ratings has been most prevalent among middle-aged adults, with a 42 percent decline in ratings being observed in the demographic of people ages 25-54. Adults aged 25-54 is considered the "key demographic."

The show is now experiencing its lowest ratings of the past year, attracting an average of only 1.2 million viewers between Mar 15 and 17.