Columnist Blasts Chris Cuomo’s Wife for Indoor Yoga Class: ‘Rules Don’t Apply’

New York Post columnist Karol Markowicz called out CNN anchor Chris Cuomo’s wife Friday for her yoga session inside a high-end store, arguing that people like her lived by a different set of rules than others during the coronavirus pandemic.

“Markowicz pointed to an Instagram post in which Cristina Cuomo and her yoga instructor engaged in an hour-long session at a brand-new Jimmy Choo store,” according to Fox News.

A gym owner reportedly commented on the video and pointed out that neither Cristina, nor her instructor, were practicing social distancing or wearing masks:

Post from a gym owner. Every fawning media feature lets this family get away with this behavior. Rules don’t apply. pic.twitter.com/4yQJuBlcAj

— Karol Markowicz (@karol) July 18, 2020

At the beginning of the video, Cristina had on a mask but removed it a few moments later as she and yoga instructor Erika Halweil showed off their designer high-heeled shoes and handbags.

View this post on Instagram

In an empty, serene store. Erika pivoted her biz to be all online during quarantine and I am so grateful for my dear friend’s free offerings since March on my Instagram designed to improve our mental and physical well being. Here is a Modified half primary offering, plus some fresh waves of good energy and our first fun girl time (at a distance) since I was sick in early April. As we can’t do yoga in a studio yet, we practiced together while picking out some birthday shoes for her at the new @jimmychoo store in East Hampton, alone in this space. Go see the new fall winter collection + shop w a 40% +off sale and receive the special JC/Purist goody bag!

A post shared by Cristina Cuomo (@cristinacuomo) on Jul 15, 2020 at 8:48am PDT

“It appeared as though Cristina Cuomo, who serves as editor-in-chief of Purist Magazine, had a business partnership with Jimmy Choo (JC), as her caption touted a ‘JC/Purist goody bag,'” the Fox News report said.

It continued:

Gov. Cuomo, Cristina’s brother-in-law, has imposed some of the tightest restrictions in the country after New York became an initial hotspot for the virus’ spread. On Friday, the town of East Hampton offered permits for outdoor exercise classes but warned that “the fitness sector poses special health safety concerns and challenges.” It also maintained that permits could be utilized “provided social distancing, group size restrictions and rules regarding face masks are followed.”

Later, an Instagram user pointed to Cristina’s “lack of respect” and “bad judgment” regarding the yoga video.

The user commented:

Don’t you think you offended every LI yoga studio owner, most of whom are women, that have had to shutter their doors and lose their only source of income from their meager studios to watch you practice (no mask, no social distancing) in a store they and most yogis can’t afford to shop at even when working??

You are out of touch with reality, living in a bubble if you think that’s a good message you’re sending to all of us who are STILL doing the right thing to protect you, ourselves, our families, co workers.

Momentum Fitness NYC wrote, “Your health and wellness magazine feeds off of the gym industry and we are all slowly suffocating to death.”

The business also urged Cristina to use her connection to Gov. Cuomo, a Democrat, to “advocate for small gyms or else we will not be able to support our families as well as help those in our communities. PLEASE HELP US!”

Saturday in Twitter, Markowicz said there was “a disconnect between people for whom the COVID lockdown was a sweet time to bake bread and work from home and people, mostly small biz owners, who spent it wondering if they would ever reopen. Some still wondering.”

However, toward the end of the yoga video Cristina urged viewers to go shopping at the store.

“So you gotta come to the Jimmy Choo store in East Hampton. Its new, its beautiful, they started a sale on some select items,” she said.