It wasn’t long ago that New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s (D) handling of the first wave of coronavirus infections earned him kudos nationwide for his steady leadership. People were even declaring themselves “Cuomosexuals.”
Now that Cuomo has resigned after the state attorney general’s investigation found that the governor had sexually harassed and assaulted nearly a dozen women, everyone is wondering if the love affair has ended.
Related: Andrew Cuomo is known as a hero for LGBTQ rights. He’s still a monster.
A clip of comedian Trevor Noah joking that he was a Cuomosexual went viral on Twitter shortly after the news broke. But Noah wasn’t the only comedian who went all-in on the joke.
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Late night host Stephen Colbert said he was “Andrew-curious.”
“You’re more of a national sex symbol,” actor Ben Stiller joked.
“I’m a Cumosexual too!” Ellen DeGeneres told Noah while doing her show from her home during the pandemic.
Jimmy Fallon. Samantha Bee. John Oliver. The list went on and on.
They were quick to proclaim their love for the man who Politico described as “short-tempered to the point of [being] abusive, was vain about publicity in ways that stood out even by the standards of politicians, and where he went, drama and personal conflict inevitably followed.”
None of the comedians have so far admitted it was just a phase.
When Trevor Noah Realise That Gov. Cuomo Resigned, This Gonna Break Trevor's Heart 💔😭
pic.twitter.com/2faawBCZLu— Neo Jane (@NeoJane8) August 10, 2021
"Fully Cuomo sexual."
"You're more of a national sex symbol."
"You set the example."
"You came across so honest."
Remember forever how creepy celebs like Trevor Noah ignored nursing home deaths and propped up serial sexual harasser Andrew Cuomo. pic.twitter.com/aTqdVEtuKx
— 🐺 (@LeighWolf) August 10, 2021
People who enabled Andrew Cuomo:
Chris Cuomo/CNN
Ellen DeGeneres
Trevor Noah— Nick Adams (@NickAdamsinUSA) August 6, 2021
We now turn to Randy Rainbow for comment pic.twitter.com/YawUNh4EID
— Ryan McPhee (@rdmcphee) August 10, 2021
congrats, @RandyRainbow! pic.twitter.com/hgovmnq5V4
— Siraj Hashmi (@SirajAHashmi) August 10, 2021
The report by New York State Attorney General Letitia James released offered a stomach-churning portrait of a man who harassed multiple women and would stoop to sullying their reputations in order to preserve his own.
Cuomo benefited from a hiding-in-plain-sight attitude. Everyone in the know was allegedly well aware that Cuomo had a history of abusing the power of his office. His political allies knew it, the media knew it, and yet everyone stoked stories about a Cuomo presidency because of his performance during the pandemic (which is now revealed to be based at least partly on lies).
Fear kept the story from coming out. Jessica Bakeman, a former statehouse reporter, wrote last March about how Cuomo used to harass her, not because he wanted to have sex with her but because “he wanted me to know that I was powerless, that I was small and weak, that I did not deserve what relative power I had.” Bakeman feared that if she went public with the harassment the “emotional terrorists” in the governor’s office would harm her professionally.
