Gov. Andrew Cuomo Teases Brother Chris For Living In A Basement During Quarantine

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) featured CNN anchor and younger brother Chris Cuomo at his daily press conference Thursday to talk, via video, about the latter’s coronavirus diagnosis and ... tease him a little about living in a basement.

The brothers Cuomo gave viewers both an entertaining and informative chat to watch after the governor updated New Yorkers on the status of the coronavirus pandemic in the state and his administration’s response to it.

Chris Cuomo, 49, announced on Tuesday he’d been diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, telling fans that he was “feeling well” and would still anchor his nightly show, “Cuomo Prime Time,” from home.

At the start of Thursday’s exchange, the governor, 62, told his brother that he was “looking fit and fine. Many people are asking about you. So, how are you feeling?”

“I’m doing pretty well, all things considered,” Chris Cuomo replied. “This is very tough. I get it now. I’ve now become part of this group of people who have this virus and they’re reaching out. ... Constant virus, constant fever. And it’s tough.”

He then went on to quip about how the virus has wreaked havoc on his hair and threw a dig at his older brother: “You look like you’ve been cutting your own hair, which some people are good at. Some people are not.”

The younger Cuomo went on to say that now that he knows “the fight that I’m in for, I’m more comfortable.”

“I’ve learned why it takes people out. You got to rest. Your body has a fever because it’s fighting the virus. You got to chill,” he said, adding that he’s “lucky” to have his wife, Cristina, as part of his support system because others are “fighting this alone.”

He also stressed that “we’re in a real fight and we really do have to remember our connections to each other because otherwise there’d be no way through.”

The pair then discussed the dreams Chris Cuomo has been having while fighting the virus.

In one, he said, his older brother “was waving a wand and saying, ‘I wish I could wave my wand and make this go away.’ Then you spun around and you danced away,”

While laughing, the governor thanked his brother for sharing the story and quipped: “Obviously the fever has affected your mental capacity.”

The Cuomos continued to joke, with the governor at one point saying he’d “refrain from any rebuttal” because you “never hit a brother when he’s down and you’re literally in a basement.”

Chris Cuomo later critiqued his brother’s desire to always be clean ― even while fishing ― and seemed to be unaware that the governor had been having daily briefings.

“I love these press conferences. I think you should have one everyday,” the younger Cuomo said.

The governor, while smiling, said: “I have been. I know you haven’t noticed. Sort of like the way you have a show, I have a briefing. You have ‘Cuomo Primetime.’ I have Cuomo all the time. That’s the difference.”

The pair ended their exchange with heartfelt words for one another (the governor had similarly shared kind thoughts about his brother on Wednesday). Andrew Cuomo applauded his brother for carrying on with his show, saying that “not many people would have stood up the way that you’ve stood up.”

“I’ve always been proud of you. ,.. I’ve never been prouder of you than I am right now,” he said.

Chris Cuomo echoed those sentiments, telling the governor: “I’ve never seen you work harder than now,” and “I’m very proud of you, big brother.”

The governor added, one more time, that you “never hit a brother when he’s down in the basement.”

The duo previously had drawn attention as the pandemic intensified earlier this month for their lively exchanges on Chris Cuomo’s show, often joking with one another to the delight of audiences.

On Monday, Chris grilled his the governor about whether he might run for president. The tense and now-viral exchange is a must-watch.

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