Chris Cuomo 'blew whistle on CNN boss Jeff Zucker's' affair with Allison Gollust

Lawyers for ousted CNN anchor Chris Cuomo wrote to the network demanding that all communications between network chief Jeff Zucker, his staffer-lover Allison Gollust, and Chris's brother Andrew - the former governor of New York - be preserved, DailyMail.com can confirm.

Chris's lawyers sought the preservation of the communications as proof both that Zucker had a conflict of interest, while he was accusing Chris of his own conflict of interest in helping his brother. 

Zucker resigned from his $6 million-a-year job at the network on Wednesday, forced out by the revelations from Chris's legal team of a conflict of interest.  

Gollust worked as Andrew Cuomo's  PR director before joining CNN, adding to the cozy familiarity among the group.

Zucker was highly prized by the network, and his contract was due to expire on December 31, 2021, but was extended to see him carry on working through the merger with Discovery. If his contract contained a severance clause, that payout could now be in jeopardy because his undisclosed relationship with a fellow employee violates company policy.

Zucker's refusal to pay out the remained of Chris Cuomo's contract, worth an estimated $18 million, is key to his own downfall. Zucker has argued that his fallen star anchor cannot claim the payout because his conduct - in advising his brother - brought the network into disrepute.

That same argument, of violating company policy, could now see Zucker miss out on his own payout, which would likely be worth many millions. 

A source says that besides the emails and other communications that would reveal the long term intimacy between Zucker and Gollust, they would also reveal how Zucker pressured Andrew Cuomo to appear on CNN and how he pushed his personal agenda about Donald Trump and other conservatives with 'potent negative story lines.' 

Chris Cuomo blew the whistle on Zucker's years-long, open-secret affair with Gollust while fighting for his $18million severance pay, according unnamed media sources. 

In a statement on Wednesday, Zucker said he was stepping down for failing to disclose his relationship with Gollust when he was being interviewed as part of the investigation into Chris Cuomo. 

He and Gollust claim the romance started during COVID, but media sources tell DailyMail.com it long predates the pandemic and was an open-secret in the CNN offices. 

They lived in the same apartment building with their respective families, have worked together at NBC and then at CNN for more than 20 years, and had what some called an 'uncomfortably cozy' rapport.  

They are both now divorced, and one source told DailyMail.com that their splits were due in part to their affair. Politico cites two unnamed sources who say Chris Cuomo's legal team brought the romance to the surface during negotiations for the ousted host's severance pay.   

Chris was fired last December after an internal investigation found he had helped his brother Andrew navigate through a sexual misconduct scandal, while still working as a CNN host.  

'Open secret': Jeff Zucker and Allison Gollust at the Billy Joel concert at Madison Square Garden on November 5, 2021 with Don Lemon (right) and Fareed Zakaria (bottom left).  Zucker stepped down as President of CNN on Wednesday as a result of their romance and the fact he lied about it while being quizzed for the investigation into Chris Cuomo. Picture courtesy of fee.org

Chris Cuomo's legal team blew the whistle on the affair while negotiating his severance package from CNN, according to Politico's sources. Chris was arguing that he should not be penalized for a conflict of interest with his brother when Zucker, the boss, was guilty of fostering one of his own 

Jeff Zucker is pictured with Allison Gollust in 2016. The pair are shown with Tom Brokaw (center). Their romance was an 'open secret' at CNN, according to insiders who tell DailyMail.com they are lying about it only evolving in 'COVID' 

Zucker with his ex-wife Caryn and Chris Cuomo in 2014, the year after Zucker joined the network 

Both Zucker and Gollust both lived in this Upper East Side apartment building with their respective families. Sources say her apartment was a floor above his. He is understood to have sold his apartment there in 2018, during his divorce 

CNN president Jeff Zucker abruptly announced his resignation Wednesday. He revealed in the memo that he became involved a 'consensual relationship' with a colleague he's worked with for more than 20 years

He is still fighting for $18million - the remainder of his contract - but Zucker had refused to pay out, citing the conflict of interest between Chris's relationship with his brother and his on-air reporting for CNN. 

According to Politico's sources, Cuomo's team said it was hypocritical for Zucker to fire Chris for a conflict of interest when he has one of his own in his relationship with Gollust. 

Gollust, who worked as Andrew Cuomo's communications director briefly, is also divorced, though it is unclear when she and her husband Billy - who runs a trading platform - split. 

Billy has not commented. 

One source told DailyMail.com on Wednesday that the affair was an open secret for years. 

'Jeff's affair with Allison has been going on forever – not since COVID! Everyone has known it but he still denied it. 

'It was part of the reason for his divorce, but not the only reason. 

'It was inevitable that it would come out – he should have been up front sooner.' 

Another said: 'It was the worst-kept secret inside the building. 

'Jeff's office was right next to Allison's office at Hudson Yards and before that at the Time Warner Center on Columbus Circle. 

'The joke was they weren't only sharing a wall. No one believes that this only happened over pandemic. 

'They have been close for years.

'The closest it ever came to being outed was when Page Six reported on their 'heavy exchange' at the Hollywood Reporter's 35 Most Powerful People in NY Media party. 

'They had a very public fight at the party that didn't seem to have anything to do with work.' 

Zucker admits lying about when the romance began during the investigation into whether or not Chris Cuomo, formerly the network's most successful host, helped his brother through his sexual harassment scandal. 

'I acknowledged the relationship evolved in recent years. I was required to disclose it when it began but I didn't. I was wrong.  

'As a result, I am resigning today,' he said. 

According to an internal email, Michael Bass, Amy Entelis and Ken Jautz will take over as interim bosses, with Bass heading up the new leadership team. 

But sources say Bass - who Zucker promoted to replace him as Executive Producer on the Today show - is one of Zucker's right-hand men and shouldn't be considered for the job. 

'The appointment of Michael Bass to the top job – even on an interim basis is outrageous.

'Michael and Jeff are very close friends. Both went to Harvard and both have looked after each other throughout their careers.

'It's such a boys club and an absolute joke.' 

Zucker is widely concerned one of the most powerful men in media. 

He has made a long list of enemies throughout his career - most notably Donald Trump, who celebrated his resignation. 

Zucker's resignation is effective immediately but Gollust will stay on at the network as an Executive Vice President of PR at CNN, and will be staying on in her role despite Zucker's departure.  

Zucker with his ex-wife Caryn in 2011 (left) and Gollust with her ex-husband Billy (right) in 2008. The pair have known each other and worked together for 20 years, starting at ABC, and media sources say their affair was an 'open secret' 

CNN staff received this email on Wednesday after Zucker's departure 

 Chris Cuomo has been at war with CNN since he was fired in early December. 

The network fired him after an investigation by the New York Attorney General's Office revealed the deep extent to which he'd helped his brother Andrew.

Chris ignored the subject on his nightly CNN talk show, but used his journalistic sources to research some of the women making claims against his brother, according to the AG report. 

CNN also received a claim that he had been sexually inappropriate with a staff member in the days before he was fired. Chris Cuomo vehemently denied that claim.  

Gollust, who said she will remain at the network, confirmed the affair in a statement Wednesday released to the New York Times.  

'Jeff and I have been close friends and professional partners for over 20 years,' she wrote. 

CNN president Jeff Zucker abruptly resigned Wednesday following the Chris Cuomo scandal, which brought to light his relationship with Gollust (pictured right in 2011), although sources at CNN say it was considered an open secret

'Recently, our relationship changed during COVID. I regret that we didn't disclose it at the right time. 

'I'm incredibly proud of my time at CNN and look forward to continuing the great work we do everyday.'

The couple was spotted together at a Billy Joel concert last November, where they were called out for defying mask regulations, but their romance was not picked up on. 

In 2017, Zucker and Gollust were seen in a heated argument at the Hollywood Reporter's 35 Most Powerful People in NY Media party. 

A source explained at the time that while the party was taking place, Zucker and Gollust suddenly started intensely speaking and making anguished hand gestures before Gollust stormed away into the crowd.

'It looked like she was reprimanding her husband or something,' mocked an unnamed rival news executive at the time. 

Other journalists have pointed to the romance too.

In her book, Katie Couric told of how Zucker tried to push Gollust onto Couric's show, despite the fact there was no role for her. 

'I had to wonder why Jeff was angling so hard to bring Allison on board. 

'She and her husband and kids had moved into the apartment right above Jeff and Caryn's—everyone who heard about their cozy arrangement thought it was super strange. 

'By that point, Caryn (Zucker's ex-wife) had become a close friend and it made me really uncomfortable,' Katie wrote in her memoir. 

Zucker made a long-list of enemies over the years at CNN, most notable of whom is Donald Trump.  

Trump celebrated his resignation on Wednesday, saying in an emailed statement: 'Jeff Zucker, a world-class sleazebag who has headed ratings and real-news-challenged CNN for far too long, has been terminated for numerous reasons, but predominantly because CNN has lost its way with viewers and everybody else. 

'Now is a chance to put Fake News in the backseat because there may not be anything more important than straightening out the horrendous LameStream Media in our Country, and in the case of CNN, throughout the World. 

'Jeff Zucker is gone—congratulations to all!' he said. 

Megyn Kelly, former FOX News host, tweeted: 'Zucker's relationship with Gollust went on for years, and what he did to keep her near him (as he kept advancing her up the line) will be even more stunning to the CNN news room.' 

Jeff Zucker stood by under-fire host Chris Cuomo for MONTHS - but ultimately fired him when NY AG revealed the extent to which he helped his brother. So he took the network boss down 

Cuomo is pictured with brother Andrew (left), the disgraced former New York governor. The CNN star lied about his role in helping his sibling fend off sex pest claims

Chris Cuomo refused to leave CNN quietly after being fired for helping quash sex assault allegations against his brother, disgraced ex-New York Governor Andrew Cuomo - and he was 'trying to burn the place down' when he ousted Jeff Zucker's secret relationship with a senior network executive. 

Cuomo has always maintained that Zucker knew the extent to which he had helped his brother while he was in office, and the network boss ignored calls to fire him for months. 

The final straw came after New York AG Letitia James' office released damning evidence where text messages proved he was more deeply involved than he'd let on. Although he was suspended, he was ultimately fired when a lawyer told CNN he was being investigated for sexually harassing a co-worker years earlier at a different network. 

But, according to CNN's own chief media correspondent Brian Stelter, Cuomo refused to go quietly because his $18 million exit package was on the line.  

Cuomo's legal team ultimately told CNN investigators that it was hypocritical to suggest that the host had a personal conflict of interest while Zucker had failed to disclose his own relationship with comms chief Allison Gollust - even though it was an 'open secret' at the company.

Sources told Politco: 'Cuomo's legal team asserted that Zucker was hypocritical to suggest Cuomo had a personal conflict of interest when the relationship with Gollust represented a potential conflict as well,' the outlet reported.  

On Wednesday, Stelter said that sources told him that Cuomo was 'trying to burn the place down' and had claimed that he had 'incriminating evidence about Zucker and Gollust.'  

'If that's the case, this is a domino effect, that begins with Andrew Cuomo going down in the governor's office, and then Chris Cuomo gets fired from CNN, and then Jeff Zucker losing his job.'

In December, a spokesman for Cuomo accused Zucker of knowing everything about his involvement in trying to help his brother while he navigated a sexual harassment scandal. 

'They were widely known to be extremely close and in regular contact, including about the details of Mr. Cuomo's support for his brother,' the spokesman told the Wall Street Journal.

'There were no secrets about this, as other individuals besides Mr. Cuomo can attest.'

 CNN then hit back, saying: 'He has made a number of accusations that are patently false. This reinforces why he was terminated for violating our standards and practices, as well as his lack of candor.' 

And while Cuomo was placed on leave after evidence from James' office proved just how involved he was in trying to quash his allegations against his brother, he was ultimately fired days later when a lawyer contacted the network with a sexual harassment allegation stemming from his previous job at ABC.   

Employment lawyer Debra S. Katz said the allegation against him was made by a former junior colleague at another network, and was unrelated to his brother, former New York governor Andrew Cuomo. 

Further details about the allegation were unclear. Cuomo's spokesman denied the claim, saying: 'These apparently anonymous allegations are not true.'

CNN's statement announcing Cuomo's termination cited only his 'conduct with his brother's defense' in its decision to terminate the anchor. 

The popular host's downfall came when documents revealed how he exchanged dozens of text messages with his brother Andrew's top aide, Melissa DeRosa. 

Cuomo told investigators under oath that they only had 'irregular contact'.

But the unearthed texts detailed Cuomo's true role in his brother's public relations crisis as he told senior members of the governor's team, 'we are making mistakes we cant afford.'

In one text, on March 3, he also asked DeRosa to 'please let me help with prep'.

Cuomo - who earned $6 million annually at CNN, according to Celebrity Net Worth -told investigators that he reached out to a 'non-journalistic' source while fishing for information on one of his brother's accusers. 

Though he admitted to researching forthcoming accusers, he vehemently denied to investigators setting out to discredit them.

'I would never do oppo research on anybody alleging anything like this,' he told investigators. 'I'm not in the oppo research business. I don't tolerate a lot of oppo research on any level.'   

When asked to define 'oppo research', he said: 'the idea of trying to find ways to disparage people who come forward with allegations like this is not what I'm about.'

Cuomo's text exchanges contradict his claims to investigators that he had 'irregular contact' with DeRosa. His testimony was subject to the penalty of perjury. 

He on March 12 sent her a text, dictating how the governor should respond to calls for his resignation.

'READ THIS,' Cuomo said. 'I will not resign. I cannot resign. I am in a different position and I am working with a different standard than these other politicians I understand why they have to say what they are saying. 

'I understand the political pressure I understand the stakes of political warfare, and that's what this is… And I understand the conformity that can be forced by cancel culture.' 

Discussions centered around Andrew Cuomo stepping down prompted the governor to consider doing so in March, Cuomo said.

'I told him, 'If you have done nothing that you believe was wrong, don't resign,' Cuomo told investigators. 'Because resigning is you saying that you did something wrong. Don't do it.'

Inside Jeff Zucker and Allison Gollust's 'cozy' relationship: As 'open-secret affair' sparks CNN boss's exit, how duo became 'joined at the hip' 20 years ago and even lived one floor apart in SAME New York apartment building 

From Jeff helping Allison, 49, land her current job at CNN to living in the same apartment building with their respective families, the two have, according to former colleague Katie Couric, been 'joined at the hip' for more than two decades.

Where it all began, as colleagues at NBC

Allison (pictured in 2018) began her career as a news anchor in Denver. She started working for NBC in 1996 - where she met Jeff, who eventually became president and CEO of NBC Universal

Harvard graduate Jeff and Allison - who began her career as a news anchor, reporter, and producer in Denver, Colorado - first met when they both worked at NBC.

According to her CNN profile, Allison started working for the company in 1996, six years after Jeff earned his first role within the network, and one year later, she was named as the senior publicist for the Today show.

Allison then served as the executive vice president of corporate communications for NBC, where she oversaw all aspects of the company's global communications efforts.

As for Jeff, who graduated from Harvard University in 1986, he started as a field producer for the Today show, where he rose through the ranks, eventually earning the job as executive producer on the show, before being named as the president of NBC Entertainment in 2000.

In her book, Going There, former NBC host Couric recalled her first encounter with Jeff, who was at the time a budding writer-producer, in 1990, describing him as being a 'nerd' who was 'seemed a little cocky, especially for someone so young'.

Then, on February 6, 2007, Jeff became president and CEO of NBC Universal.

Despite gaining a lot of power at NBC, Jeff was shoved out of the company in 2010, after its merger with Comcast Corporation.

The Los Angeles Times reported at the time that Comcast Chief Operating Officer Steve Burke 'told Jeff that he wanted him to 'move on' as soon as Comcast took control of the media conglomerate.'

During his time at NBC, Jeff had several misfires - most notably, when he brought in independent producer Ben Silverman, which ultimately caused NBC's ratings to plummet.

He was also slammed for moving Jay Leno's show to prime time, which negatively impacted the number of viewers.

Looking out for one another: How Jeff tried to snag Allison a job alongside him on Katie Couric's show

Both of them left NBC within months of one another in 2010, and Jeff spent several months without a job, before reuniting with former colleague Couric in 2011 in order to produce her self-titled daytime talkshow. 

However, even after they both departed NBC, Jeff and Allison remained incredibly close. So close, in fact, that Jeff fought hard to get Allison a job on Katie's show while he was there.

The talk show host claimed in her 2021 memoir, Going There, that Jeff made a 'huge push' to bring Allison onto their staff, but they unfortunately didn't have a role for her.

Katie (pictured with Jeff and his wife in 2005) later claimed that their 'cozy arrangement' was 'super strange' and made her 'really uncomfortable'

'They were joined at the hip. The problem was, we'd already hired a PR person for the show. There really wasn't a role for Allison,' she wrote. 'I had to wonder why Jeff was angling so hard to bring Allison on board.'

In late 2012, rumors started to circulate that Jeff was planning to leave Katie's show to join CNN, and Katie later claimed that he and Allison had teamed up to plant those stories - writing that 'everyone knew he and Allison had Page Six on speed dial.'

Jeff then became the president of CNN on January 1, 2013. 

Reuniting at CNN: How Jeff brought Allison on-board as his first hire  

According to Allison (pictured in 2013), it wasn't until the pandemic hit that things turned romantic. Sources say otherwise

After leaving NBC, Allison took a job as then-New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's communications director at the end of 2012. However, just four months later, it was revealed that she had quit the role and was moving to CNN.     

'[Jeff's] first hire?' Katie wrote in her book. 'Allison Gollust.' 

She was hired at the company as senior vice president of communications. 

'Allison is among the most experienced and respected communications executives in the media industry, and her close working relationship with Jeff Zucker is one of its most successful professional partnerships,' Jeff Matteson, senior vice president of communications for Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., said at the time. 

Jeff added in a statement: 'In the 15 years that Allison and I have worked together, I've depended on her judgment, counsel and relationships.

'Allison is joining CNN at an exciting time, and she and the strong communications team she's inheriting will play a critical role in shaping the organization and its story going forward. It's great to have her at CNN.'

Living in close quarters: Pair spark speculation after moving into the same apartment building just one floor apart

Jeff and Allison lived in the same apartment building on the Upper East Side with their respective families until Jeff sold his in 2020, after he and his ex-wife - supervisor of Saturday Night Life Caryn Stephanie Nathanson - split.

The building is located at on the corner of Madison Avenue in Manhattan, New York. He resided in apartment 3W, while Allison lived in the unit right above him - number 4W - which she still owns. 

Katie later claimed that their 'cozy arrangement' was 'super strange' and made her 'really uncomfortable.'

She said in her book: '[Allison] and her husband and kids had moved into the apartment right above Jeff and [his wife] Caryn's - everyone who heard about their cozy arrangement thought it was super strange.

He resided in apartment 3W, which he sold in 2020 after his divorce, while Allison lived in the unit right above him - 4W - which she still owns

Both of them also own Hampton houses within 20 minutes from one another

'By that point, Caryn had become a close friend and it made me really uncomfortable.'

Allison's apartment has two bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms, while Jeff's contained five bedrooms and four and a half bathrooms. He sold it for $15.4 million. 

Both of them also own Hampton houses within 20 minutes from one another.

According to public sales records, Jeff's home hasn't been put up for sale since he purchased it in 1999 - however it's not known whether he or his wife took ownership of it in the divorce. Records also show that Allison still owners her Hampton home. 

Leaving their respective partners: Lengthy marriages both end in divorce 

Jeff and his ex-wife split in 2018 after 21 years of marriage, due to reportedly 'growing apart.'

A source told Page Six at the time: 'It can't be easy being married to Jeff - he is a workaholic, and is obsessed with news, and obsessed with being the best.

'Caryn is much more laid back and social, spends a lot of time with their kids and enjoys being part of the Upper East Side social circuit. 

Jeff and his ex-wife Caryn (pictured in 2012) share three daughters and a son

'They've had their problems over the years. Things have been bad for 10 years, but they have now accepted their marriage is over, and he has moved out of their apartment.' 

The former couple share four kids together - three daughters and a son. 

As for Allison, she was previously married to Billy Hult, the president of online marketplace platform Tradeweb.

According to RadarOnline, they broke up 12 months after Jeff and Caryn finalized their divorced. Before they split, they welcomed two daughters together named Olivia and Ava.

Now, sources have claimed that both of their marriages ended because of their budding romance. 

An insider told DailyMail.com on Wednesday: 'It was part of the reason for his divorce, but not the only reason. It was inevitable that it would come out – he should have been up front sooner.' 

Going public with their romance: Couple claim their 'relationship changed during COVID' 

In a memo to CNN staff on Wednesday, Jeff confirmed the relationship and announced that he was stepping down from the company

According to Allison, who said she will remain at the network, however, it wasn't until the COVID-19 pandemic hit that things turned romantic between them. 

'Jeff and I have been close friends and professional partners for over 20 years,' she wrote. 'Recently, our relationship changed during COVID,' she said in a statement released to the New York Times.

'I regret that we didn't disclose it at the right time. I'm incredibly proud of my time at CNN and look forward to continuing the great work we do everyday.' 

In a memo to CNN staff on Wednesday, Jeff spoke out about it too.

He said: 'As part of the investigation into Chris Cuomo's tenure at CNN, I was asked about a consensual relationship with my closest colleague, someone I have worked with for more than 20 years. 

'I acknowledged the relationship evolved in recent years. I was required to disclose it when it began but I didn't. I was wrong.'