The CNN newsman joked around with the New York governor on Tuesday's 'Cuomo Prime Time.'
Chris Cuomo is using his big brother's newfound popularity for some serious sibling mockery.
The CNN newsman spoke with his brother, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, via video chat on Tuesday's Cuomo Prime Time. After the pair discussed everything from coronavirus relief efforts to timetables for the state's reopening plans, Chris gently ribbed his older brother, as seems to be a tradition for the duo.
Addressing Andrew's popularity in the polls -- and the "Cuomosexual" moniker fans of the brothers have adopted -- Chris said his brother has been behaving differently than he used to, by making more media appearances and going on more talk shows than in the past.
"Some say it is evidence of a shift in ambition," Chris said, adding that this can be evidenced by Andrew "going on shows like Ellen, where she's pumping your head up with helium about how great you are and [appearing on] the cover of Rolling Stone."
"Do you believe there's been a shift in your ambitions and in your sense of yourself because of all these new friends you seem to have?" Chris asked.
"Well, some say I shouldn't come on this show because you harass me," Andrew replied.
Andrew added, "To do Ellen's show was a pleasure. I'm a big fan. She said nice things about me, that she didn't say about you, but she was just telling the truth."
"Nothing about me has changed," Andrew said, before digging into Chris in return. "I haven't been in my basement, I haven't had my wife shear my hair out of resentment. None of that has happened to me. I'm just doing my job."
Recently, both Chris and Andrew were named two of the "most desirable" men in New York City, according to a survey from a professional matchmarker in the city, and Andrew addressed the survey during a radio interview, joking, "I am eligible."
"Do you think you are an attractive person now because you're single and ready to mingle?" Chris asked his brother. "Do you really think you are some desirable single person, and this is not just people's pain coming out of them?"
"I think beauty is in the eye of the beholder," Andrew responded.
"Listen here, you've got an answer for anything," Chris replied, shaking his head.
As their signature sibling banter continued, Andrew wrapped up the back-and-forth with a sort of backhanded compliment.
"For the record, I do a lot of interviews," Andrew said. "Nobody is more probing, annoying, and disrespectful than you are."
"Fierce accountability is the word you're looking for, Governor," Chris replied, without breaking his serious facade.
The subject of the Cuomo brothers' popularity has come up time and again amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and the pair have amassed a dedicated following -- among them, a number of celebrities, including Jada Pinkett Smith.
The Red Table Talk star admitted during a recent episode of her Facebook Watch series that the governor is her "celebrity crush."
"I don’t miss a press conference when Cuomo is on," she revealed. "I’m like, ‘Got to go see my celebrity crush right now, sorry.'"
Check out the video below for more on the growing popularity of the Cuomo brothers during the coronavirus crisis.
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