Chris Cuomo’s former boss at ABC, Shelley Ross, has accused the CNN anchor of sexual harassment. According to People, Ross alleges that the incident took place in 2005, describing the instance as a “hostile act meant to diminish and belittle his female former boss in front of the staff.” In an op-ed for The New York Times, Ross wrote about the interaction with Cuomo that happened more than 16 years ago. Ross said Cuomo “greeted me with a strong bear hug while lowering one hand to firmly grab and squeeze the cheek of my buttock” when she saw him at an event for one of their former ABC News co-workers. Ross was with her husband at the party.
In the Times op-ed, Ross wrote that Cuomo said, as he greeted her, “I can do this now that you’re no longer my boss.” Ross responded, “No you can’t,” while “pushing him off me at the chest while stepping back, revealing my husband, who had seen the entire episode at close range. We quickly left.” Ross said that Cuomo emailed her within the hour to apologize for his actions.
Ross continued, “I have no grudge against Mr. Cuomo; I’m not looking for him to lose his job.” Cuomo’s former boss wrote that she’s simply seeking accountability, leading to the “possibility of real change.”