‘Fredo’ Round-Up: Chris Matthews, Joy Reid, Cher, NYT, and More Used the ‘Offensive’ Term

Moderator Chris Cuomo speaks at a town hall forum hosted by CNN at Drake University on Jan
Justin Sullivan/Getty
Hannah Knudsen

Chris Cuomo compared the nickname “Fredo” to the “N-word” in a viral video that surfaced Monday night, showing the CNN anchor melting down after a man referred to him as such. There are numerous instances, however, of others in media, politics, and Hollywood using the term– the same term Cuomo likened to an ethnic slur.

Cuomo raged after a man referred to him as “Fredo,” threatening violence and comparing the nickname – popularized by Breitbart News’ John Nolte – to the “N-word.”

“No. Punk ass bitches on the right call me Fredo. My name is Chris Cuomo. I’m an anchor on CNN,” Cuomo said. “Fredo is from The Godfather. He was the weak brother.”

“It’s an insult to your fucking people. It’s like the N-word for us,” Cuomo continued before threatening to throw the man down the stairs.

“I’ll fucking ruin your shit,” Cuomo ranted. “I’ll fucking throw you down these stairs like a fucking punk.”

Despite Cuomo’s insistence that “Fredo” is an ethnic slur, the term has been used frequently by high profile media personalities, outlets, and figures in Hollywood.

Notably, the “offensive” term did not generate public outcry – particularly from Cuomo – when it was used in the following instances:

Chris Matthews:

The Hardball host has unabashedly used “Fredo” in the past, calling Donald Trump Jr. the “Fredo-like son” of the First Family:

That is not the only instance:

The “ethnic slur” has been used by numerous figures. For example:

Joy Reid:

Cher:

Julián Castro:

George Takei:

Vanity Fair:

Alec Baldwin:

Pod Save America’s Dan Pfeiffer:

TPM’s Josh Marshall:

The Boston Globe:

Beau Willimon:

Brian Koppelman:

The Atlantic:

The Atlantic’s David Frum:

Former Hillary Clinton staffer Jesse Ferguson:

CNN’s Jake Tapper:

Slate:

Ana Navarro:

Rick Wilson:

The New York Times:

A CNN spokesperson has indicated that the network “completely” supports Cuomo.

“Chris Cuomo defended himself when he was verbally attacked with the use of an ethnic slur in an orchestrated setup,” CNN’s Matt Dornic tweeted Monday evening. “We completely support him”:

He also seemed to double down on Cuomo’s newfound position of categorizing “Fredo” as an ethnic slur, comparing it to Polish slurs.

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