CNN’s Chris Cuomo quickly apologized on Twitter after he made an inappropriate joke about preferred gender pronouns during the network’s televised LGBTQ town hall for Democratic 2020 candidates on Thursday night.
Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) walked onto the stage and immediately declared her pronouns as “she, her and hers.”
“She, her and hers? Mine too,” Cuomo responded, eliciting what appeared to be some groans from the studio audience.
“Alright,” Harris replied after a moment’s silence.
Check out the exchange here:
Cuomo tweeted an apology soon after, saying he “should not have” responded in the way he did. “I am an ally of the LGBTQ community, and I am sorry because I am committed to helping us achieve equality,” he wrote.
The backlash was swift on Twitter, however, where LGBTQ advocacy groups called out the prime time anchor. GLAAD tweeted “it was so disappointing” for Cuomo to mock Harris’ declaration “on such a major stage.”
The National Center for Lesbian Rights, meanwhile, tweeted that “people’s pronouns are not a punchline.”
“In a year where LGBTQ Americans are finally being recognized on the national Presidential stage, making jokes about gender pronouns is beneath your dignity. Please do better in the future,” the organization added.
Others called Cuomo’s comment “UNACCEPTABLE,” “not okay” and “super gross.”