Chris Cuomo Sets Return to Cable News as NewsNation Host

Chris Cuomo has set his second act in cable news.

The former CNN anchor is making the jump to NewsNation, the nascent news network owned by Nexstar Media. Cuomo will join the network's primetime lineup in the fall.

Cuomo promised his new show will boast middle-of-the-road political commentary and "confrontation" without takedowns. "We need this right now because this binary system is killing us," he said. "And the media is trapped in it very often. You can't be criticizing the game that you are a part of."

Cuomo's return comes eight months after he was fired by CNN for assisting in the defense of his brother, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, after he was accused of sexual harassment by multiple women (Andrew Cuomo later resigned amid the scandal).

The axed host has since demanded $125 million in damages from CNN, with his attorneys writing in his arbitration filing, "Cuomo has had his journalistic integrity unjustifiably smeared, making it difficult if not impossible for Cuomo to find similar work in the future."

In an interview with NewsNation's Dan Abrams timed to the announcement, Cuomo shied away from discussing any pending litigation, but denied manipulating the press on his brother's behalf.

"I never contacted any media who were covering my brother to try to affect their coverage," he said. "The concern would be not that I called you and said 'What do you think's going on here?' It's me calling you and saying 'Hey tonight in your segment, I hope you remember that...'"

Despite demanding a hefty sum from CNN, Cuomo insisted he is not a victim of cancel culture. "I don't think I've ever been a victim of anything ever in my life," he told Abrams. "I don't feel sorry for myself."

Claire Spellberg Lustig is the Senior Editor at Primetimer and a scholar of The View. Follow her on Twitter at @c_spellberg.