PBD Podcast – Chris Cuomo | PBD Podcast | Ep. 289

Intro

In this episode of the PBD Podcast, host Patrick Bet-David interviews Chris Cuomo, a prominent figure in the media industry and host of a successful show on News Nation. Despite their political differences, the host expresses admiration for Chris and his family’s history. The podcast covers a range of topics, including Chris’s father’s political career, current politics, and Chris’s own experiences with mental health. The conversation also delves into the controversy surrounding Chris’s workout video with 100-pound dumbbells.

Main Takeaways

The Cuomo Family Legacy

• Chris Cuomo is a prominent figure with a well-known family name and a successful career in media.
• The host expresses his admiration for Chris and his family’s history, even if they don’t always agree politically.
• Chris’ father’s political career and legacy are discussed.

Chris Cuomo’s Media Career and Controversies

• Chris has been in the public eye for a long time and has a successful show on News Nation.
• The podcast covers various topics, including current politics and controversies surrounding Chris.
• The host teases a controversial video of Chris working out with 100-pound dumbbells that has gained attention on social media.
• Chris’ controversial workout video with 100-pound dumbbells has gained attention on social media.
• The dumbbell in the video was actually a gift and a joke.
• Chris believes the lust for gotchas and making something out of nothing has gotten to be too much of a contagion.
• Chris is all about functional strength and self-defense, not bodybuilding.
• Chris’ son is in full bloom and is a gorgeous kid who is strong.

Chris Cuomo’s Personal Struggles and Mental Health

• Chris discusses the fragility of trust between people and how it can lead to conspiratorial thinking.
• He also discusses how his podcast focuses on relatable experiences of struggle that everyone goes through but often don’t talk about due to societal perceptions of weakness, particularly among men.
• The speaker decided to talk openly about his struggles with depression and insecurity to help others who may be going through the same thing.
• Society often stigmatizes vulnerability, causing people to stay quiet about their struggles.
• The speaker’s therapist became like a life coach to him and helped him work on himself and make accommodations in his personal life.
• Learning to shut your mouth and listen can be a valuable skill in personal relationships.
• The speaker’s therapist suggested he try an antidepressant to help regulate his emotions and balance his mood.
• Many people won’t go on medication for mental health due to the stigma.
• Depression is a leading illness and diagnosis in the US.
• The speaker takes antidepressants and has no shame in it.
• The speaker is concerned about people discounting Kanye West’s illness and scrutinizing him.

Chris Cuomo’s Views on Politics and Media

• The speaker is excited about building something new at News Nation and enjoys doing live read ads on his YouTube channel and podcast.
• The speaker receives many offers for advertisers but only promotes products he believes in.
• The speaker has a 17-year-old son who uses a manscaping kit.
• The speaker discusses his experience with depression and how it can be confused with personality flaws.
• The speaker predicted he would pay a price for having his brother on his show during the pandemic.
• The media criticized the speaker for having his family on his show during the pandemic.
• There is a disconnect between journalists and those in the media industry.
• The speaker faced unexpected criticism and scrutiny from the media and public due to helping his brother during COVID-19.
• He was blindsided by the negative attention and felt that the accusations against him were baseless.
• Despite this, he believes that the familiarity of his relationship with his brother resonated with people.
• The experience of starting over after losing everything allowed him to reevaluate his values and priorities.
• The current state of politics is characterized by insults and personal attacks instead of reasoned debate.
• People should focus on judging a candidate’s positions instead of attacking their character.
• Old school politicians like Mario Cuomo and Ralph Moreno were able to make deals despite their disagreements because they saw each other as coming from a good place.
• Chris Cuomo’s podcast covers a range of topics including COVID, his brother’s time in the limelight, and the intersection of podcasting and TV.
• Andrew Cuomo believes in the marrow of his bones that whatever comes with public service is worth it.
• Chris Cuomo believes there is a “glow” rather than a shadow from their father’s legacy.
• Chris Cuomo’s sisters are the really talented people in the family.
• Chris Cuomo would never go into elected office due to the hard work, exposure to things out of his control, and ugly compromise.
• Chris Cuomo talks about his decision not to go into elected office due to the hard work, exposure to things out of his control, and ugly compromise.
• Cuomo respects his brother Andrew’s decisions more than his own.
• Cuomo talks about a video of him on Shelter Island where he was confronted by three guys about being called “Fredo” in front of his daughter.
• Cuomo explains that the edited narrative of the video left out the part where the guys called him “Fredo” in front of his daughter.
• Cuomo discusses the importance of decency and how he handled the situation with the guys who confronted him.
• Cuomo discusses handling confrontation with decency and not making it personal.
• He believes in more dialogue, not less, and always offers interviews to those he disagrees with.
• Cuomo doesn’t have personal animus towards Trump, but doesn’t like being made a personal target.
• Cuomo acknowledges that being in the media comes with a price and he doesn’t complain about it.
• Andrew Cuomo’s father had a lot of pride in being able to serve and be a voice despite his illiterate parents not having the same opportunities.
• Cuomo’s father worked hard and felt that his political position was a way to give back to the community.
• Cuomo faced criticism and bullying when his father became governor, but his grandmother taught him not to run away from his problems and to face them with respect for himself.
• Cuomo values family traditions and rituals, as seen in his interviews with Robert RFK and President Bush.
• Cuomo’s parents have been married for over 60 years, highlighting the importance of strong family values and relationships.
• Cuomo’s siblings all had to work hard to pay for their education, except for Andrew who worked his way through college and law school.
• The Cuomo family is traditional Italian Catholic and values family above all else.
• The family believes in being there for each other through thick and thin, even if they don’t always like each other.
• Cuomo’s father was not concerned with high-minded political discussions, but rather focused on the simple things like how his children were doing in school.
• Andrew Cuomo was like a father figure to Chris Cuomo.
• Chris Cuomo’s father was funny but could get angry quickly.
• Chris Cuomo’s siblings are much older than him.
• Chris Cuomo did not look outside his family for a male role model.
• Chris Cuomo’s firing from ABC was a difficult time for him and his family, and there was behind-the-scenes involvement from Andrew Cuomo.
• Andrew Cuomo admits that loyalty to his brother played a role in his involvement in the situation.
• As the head of CNN, Andrew Cuomo had to set clear guidelines to avoid setting Chris up for failure or risking his own job.
• Andrew Cuomo is currently in an arbitration process and is not concerned about the money, but rather the idea that he was acting in bad faith or lying.
• Andrew Cuomo maintains that he never tried to manipulate journalist coverage of his brother or go after his accusers.
• Andrew Cuomo’s brother, Chris Cuomo, was interviewed on CNN about his involvement in his brother’s scandal.
• Chris Cuomo maintains that he never tried to manipulate journalist coverage of his brother or go after his accusers.
• Chris admits that he was helping his brother’s team and giving them advice, but they almost always didn’t take his advice.
• Chris believes that he would do it again, despite the conflict of interest, because he believes it helped people during a difficult time.
• Chris has tremendous respect for his former bosses and the outlet, and he will deal with the situation there.
• Chris Cuomo expresses regret over his involvement in advising his brother during the sexual harassment scandal and acknowledges the need for accountability.
• Cuomo values his partnership with PBD and the opportunity to start the PBD podcast from scratch during the pandemic.
• Cuomo discusses the impact of media magnification and the prevalence of fringe voices in today’s society.
• Cuomo criticizes the two-party system, which he views as toxic and zero-sum.
• The plurality of the country is nonpartisan, which is the fastest growing partisan denomination.
• Both parties are dominated by their fringe elements, making it difficult to work together.
• Culture wars are almost entirely bullshit and fly in the face of the bedrock principle of “you do you and I’ll do me.”
• Cuomo believes that the government should be accountable to the American people and explain why they don’t share information about UFOs.
• Former President Trump was advised not to release the Kennedy assassination files due to concerns about owning sources and methods.
• Cuomo believes that the government should be accountable to the American people and explain why they don’t share information about UFOs.
• Journalists should question power, but being anti-establishment is a cheap label.
• The dossier is a French word for file and was raw intelligence from a single guy connected to Clinton.
• The entire investigation was not based solely on the dossier.
• Investigations that reek of politics are destroying us.
• If you don’t tell me your story, somebody else is and you’re not gonna like the ending.
• No one is above the law, but there is prosecutorial discretion.
• People know so much more about this than things that actually matter.
• The two-party system is killing us and we need to do better.
• There is a need to automate voting to ensure accurate identification of voters, but this may not favor Democrats.
• The argument for showing ID to vote is not always the best political argument because it may disenfranchise certain groups, such as those who are socioeconomically disadvantaged.
• The issue of transgender athletes competing against biological females is a small percentage of the larger issues facing America.
• Anti-establishment politics can be reductive and lead to a sense of demagoguery, and it is important to address specific concerns on a case-by-case basis.
• “Progressive pragmatism” involves having a set of principles and addressing each case individually, with a focus on helping the underclass.
• Mario Cuomo believed in speaking for the underclass and was a true anti-elitist.
• Italian Americans were not always considered white and faced discrimination in the past.
• Mario Cuomo was anti-the-two-party system and believed in the American people being independent.
• There is a need for more diverse backgrounds in leadership positions and politics.
• Veterans with leadership skills should be encouraged to get involved in politics.
• The current ruling class could be improved upon.
• The system discourages people from getting involved in politics.
• The speaker is anti-party and believes parties are a problem.
• The speaker believes that parties are a problem and the system needs to change.
• People’s feelings of disaffection, social engineering, imbalanced workplace, and a sliding values scale led to Trump’s popularity.
• The media and the left made a mistake by discounting people’s legitimate reasons for supporting Trump.
• Trump is seen as an agent for legitimate grievance and a guy with a lot of money who can’t be compromised.
• The speaker argues that people’s legitimate reasons for supporting Trump should not be dismissed as stupid.
• Trump’s celebrity status gave him tremendous cachet and power.
• DeSantis is trying to play Trump’s game but he’s not Trump.
• There are disaffected people on both sides who see the system as rigged and call it a “uniparty” game.
• Politics is the only place where we don’t allow common concerns and shared beliefs to predominate.
• The left and right want to keep us apart, but there’s a big space of common understanding and shared belief that we could focus on.
• The speaker believes that there is a shared understanding and belief that people could focus on, despite political differences.
• The speaker is not promoting Joe Biden or advocating for censorship.
• The speaker wants to know what happened with JFK and believes that there are holes in the idea of a single shooter.
• The speaker acknowledges the stain on their people’s history with the mafia and shares a personal anecdote about potential FBI investigations.
• The speaker believes that Lee Harvey Oswald was not the sole assassin of JFK.
• The assassination of JFK was not solely committed by Lee Harvey Oswald.
• The FBI, CIA, and other intelligence agencies had knowledge and suspicion of the assassination.
• The reason for not releasing the files is to protect the reputation of the agencies involved.
• Anonymous sources are necessary for information, but trust in the outlets is important.
• The truth is healing and admitting mistakes is important for progress.
• Public trust in the US government has been on a downward trend since the 60s.
• Negativity in the media is more prevalent than ever before.
• The media profits from joining parades or agendas of discord.
• MD motivator is an example of someone who is doing well on social media by spreading positivity.
• Admitting mistakes is important for progress.
• Reductive agendas are prevalent in media, religion, and corporate brand trust and goodwill.
• Catastrophes are the only things that can get us to a better place, but the pandemic and 9/11 have not worked.
• Deplatforming is censoring, but having people on who spread lies is also not helpful.
• Extreme categories like anti-Semitism and racism have zero value in making anything better.
• Trump praised China 15 times in the beginning of the pandemic, but he also put tariffs on them.
• Trump’s leadership in getting the vaccine done was unassailable.
• Republicans are weaponizing the vaccine for political reasons.
• There is a hyper-emphasis on the vaccine in digital media.
• Tucker Carlson sounds freer now than he did three years ago.
• COVID-19 affected Trump’s chances of getting reelected.
• COVID-19 affected Trump’s chances of getting reelected, but it’s not the only factor.
• Trump’s antagonistic relationship with the media played a role in his downfall.
• The origins of the virus are more complicated than just blaming China.
• Trump used China to deflect accountability for himself as president.
• If Trump had stuck with his original take on COVID, the election outcome may have been different.
• Trump’s handling of COVID-19 impacted the election outcome.
• No one in a white coat should be doing political messaging for America.
• Science changes and scientists change their opinions all the time on the basis of information.
• The pandemic highlighted the challenge of mixing science and politics.
• The biggest example was when they went from the touch, touch, touch to aerosolized, they did not tell us the way they should have.
• Tony Fauci was helpful during the AIDS epidemic and fought against the stigmatization of the disease as a “gay disease”.
• Fauci was pressured by multiple administrations to take a leading role during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Fauci is fallible but does things for the right reasons.
• RFK’s book on Fauci lacks context and nuance and exaggerates claims about Fauci’s actions.
• Scientific understanding is constantly evolving and changing, and it’s important to base decisions on data and evidence.
• News outlets have a responsibility to serve their communities with quality balanced journalism.
• Biased and false news is becoming increasingly common on social media and some media outlets.
• It’s important to base decisions on data and evidence.
• Sales organizations can benefit from having well-scripted responses to objections.
• Scripted responses can improve the confidence and performance of sales teams.
• The media has been calling out people for a long time, so it’s like giving them a taste of their own medicine (speaker not specified).
• The intelligence community is important and we need them (Chuck Schumer).
• Regardless of political affiliation, people should be against dismantling the intelligence community (speaker not specified).
• Personal experience with COVID-19 can be severe and different for everyone (speaker not specified).
• Attended a conference where 600 sales guys got COVID-19 after.
• Refused to mandate vaccinations for employees.
• Lost trust in media and government officials due to conflicting information.
• Believes in being careful when dealing with people in power.
• Chris Cuomo believes in being careful when dealing with people in power.
• In a crisis, it’s best to shut up if there’s no process attached.
• Protests can be angry and mean, but the moment you touch person or property, you become a criminal.
• Media feeds a narrative that works for people, even if it’s irresponsible.
• There are millions of hits of bullshit things taken out of context about Chris Cuomo.
• The last anti-establishment president we had was not Trump, but rather a two-term governor who made reasoned choices.
• Kennedy is not a good analog for Trump as he was not anti-establishment, but rather made choices based on his beliefs.
• Animus towards Bobby Kennedy may have played a role in JFK’s assassination, as some elements were unhappy with what they saw as an insult towards the mob.
• The decision to go after JFK may have been made because he would come after them if they went after his brother.
• There is no reason to believe that LBJ or the CIA were involved in JFK’s assassination, but transparency is needed to confirm this.
• Releasing the files would help build trust and provide more information on what happened.
• Concerns about fake news and weaponizing the idea that you can’t trust the media.
• Each news outlet and person has a different standard and should be judged individually.
• Bobby Kennedy Jr. is trying to form consensus and is not anti-vaxxing.
• Perception of conflict of interest in covering Bobby Kennedy Jr.
• Bobby Kennedy Jr. is used by anti-vaxxers but claims he is not anti-vaxxing.
• Bobby Kennedy Jr. is making positions through a different lens now.
• RFK’s town hall was a success and allowed for testing of Bobby’s basis.
• Bobby’s messaging is about consensus and not necessarily who he really is.
• The media should cover Bobby Kennedy Jr. objectively and judge him based on his current positions.
• Bobby Kennedy Jr. has a history of advocating for fewer vaccines.
• He is a true believer in his advocacy, with no act or questioning of his beliefs.
• People should not judge him based on his family or mock the Kennedy name.
• The accuracy of his positions is subject to testing, but a marketplace of ideas is necessary for democracy.
• Despite fundraising and polls, Bobby Kennedy Jr. is projected to lose and is not projecting what is needed for a big fight.
• Bobby Kennedy Jr. is projected to lose and is not projecting what is needed for a big fight.
• The word “demagogue” means someone who plays on anger, outrage, and prejudice to gather support.
• People tend to play it safe and protect themselves when they’re scared.
• Our world could be more ecumenical