Black Conservatives Slam Chris Cuomo for Saying ‘Fredo’ Is Like the ‘N-Word’

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Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for CNN
Kristina Wong

Black conservatives are slamming CNN anchor Chris Cuomo for saying that him being called “Fredo” was the same as someone using the “n-word” for a black person.

During a confrontation caught on camera, a man asked Cuomo if he was “Fredo” — a reference to a character on The Godfather who is less intelligent than his brothers.

Cuomo, whose brother is New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, went on an expletive-laced tirade in which he claimed the name was “like the n-word” for Italians and threatened to throw the man down a flight of stairs.

Candace Owens, who founded the Black-exit from the Democrat Party, or “Blexit,” movement, said Cuomo’s remark was further evidence that CNN is the “most racist network on TV.”

“They use the history of black Americans as a shield so they can go after their opponents. @ChrisCuomo claiming that ‘Fredo’ is the same as the N word, so he can feel righteous as he thugs someone — proves my point,” she tweeted.

“When will black America stop giving hysterical white liberals the authority to keep minimizing our history? ,” she added in a later tweet.

Conservative radio show host Wayne Dupree also took Cuomo to task, saying that his comment showed what he really thought of black people.

“1. FREDO came from a Hollywood movie.

2. Slave masters didn’t call Italians ‘fredo’

3. Shows you what Cuomo thinks of black people

FREDO was associated with being ‘slow, and couldn’t be trusted'”

Conservative commentator Brandon Tatum, also slammed Cuomo, tweeting that his “truly disgusting character comes out”:

Katrina Pierson, senior adviser for the Trump campaign, tweeted that “Fredo” was not a slur comparable to the “N word.”

“The N word is a dehumanizing word used against blacks who endured years of oppression. Fredo is a term from The Godfather, referring to the dumb brother. Equivocating the two is pure racism,” she tweeted.

Show hosts Diamond and Silk mocked Cuomo in a tweet with a GIF of them laughing, along with the message: “Wow, we always thought Chris Cuomo middle name was Fredo!”

Comedian Terrence K. Williams tweeted, “CRAZY COMPARISON! What Will CNN DO About this?”

Conservative radio show host Larry Elder also expressed surprise that “Fredo” was the “equivalent of the ‘n’ word.” “Who knew?” he tweeted, along with the hashtag #FredoCuomo.

Some Italian-Americans also criticized the comparison, saying “Fredo” was not an ethnic slur or comparable to the “N-word.”

Hot Air’s Ed Morrissey wrote in a piece:

There are a few derogatory terms for Italian-Americans as a group but none of them really rise to the level of the ‘N-word,’ and Fredo isn’t a group insult in the first place. Its Godfather reference has nothing to do with Italianness; it refers to stupidity and incompetence in a sibling, offspring, or within an organization. (In fact, I’ve used it that way myself on occasion.)

…

However, Cuomo threatened significant violence in response to nothing more than a dumb personal insult while hijacking the N-word to wrap himself in victimhood, not to mention hijack Americans of Italian descent at the same time.

It is not the first time Cuomo claimed he was being called a name like the “n-word.” In 2017, he claimed that being called “fake news” was like the “n-word” for journalists.

He retracted his statement and apologized for that comment, tweeting that he was wrong to compare it to the “pain of a racial slur.”

Follow Kristina Wong at @kristina_wong.

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