Cuomo brothers rib each other during CNN interview: ‘There’s always a time to call mom’

CNN anchor Chris Cuomo and his older brother New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) took turns roasting each other at the end of a television interview on Monday night, culminating in the host telling the governor to “call mom.”

Andrew Cuomo appeared on CNN to discuss his state’s response to the coronavirus outbreak and noted the possibility of implementing a curfew to keep residents inside.

“I don’t like the word curfew. Dad tried to have a curfew for me and I never got past the resentment,” Andrew Cuomo said.

“That was the least of your problems, your problems with the curfew,” Chris Cuomo interjected. “Just so you know.”

“Well, I never violated — you violated the curfew all the time,” his brother responded. “Caused much pain, but that’s a different story.”

“I don’t believe in rules,” the CNN host fired back, before taking a softer tone. “Gov. Andrew Cuomo, I appreciate you coming on the show. I love you. I’m proud of what you’re doing, I know you’re working hard for your state. But no matter how hard you’re working, there’s always time to call mom. She wants to hear from you. Just so you know.”

“I called mom,” Andrew Cuomo responded.

“That’s not what she said.”

“I called mom just before I came on this show,” Andrew Cuomo insisted. “By the way, she said I was her favorite. Good news is she said you are her second favorite. Second favorite son, Christopher.”

Chris Cuomo said neither of them were their mother’s favorite child. The brothers also have three sisters.

“We both know neither of us are mom’s first or second favorite in the family,” the CNN host said. “I can’t believe you’re lying to my audience. You’ve blown the credibility of the entire interview.”

The governor knocked his brother, saying he called him the “second favorite son.”

The light-hearted moment went viral, being viewed more than 2 million times as of Tuesday afternoon.

In a follow-up tweet, Chris Cuomo said there was no proof his brother ever called their mother, former first lady of New York Matilda Cuomo.

“Mother rejects notion,” the younger brother joked on Twitter. “Circumstantial evidence suggests different preference (mom living with me) but I am not about such pettiness.”

This is a VERY generous assessment of the back and forth with the governor. Fake news. No proof call happened. Mother rejects notion. Circumstantial evidence suggests different preference (mom living with me) but I am not about such pettiness. https://t.co/ohDzOCxdy0

— Christopher C. Cuomo (@ChrisCuomo) March 17, 2020

Over the weekend, Andrew Cuomo wrote a New York Times op-ed calling for President Trump to activate the Army Corps of Engineers to expand hospital capacity across the country during the coronavirus outbreak.

During a Tuesday press conference, the governor said that his state reported 432 new confirmed cases of the disease overnight, a sharp increase that makes New York the site of the most confirmed cases in the U.S with 1,374.

Andrew Cuomo predicted that the state might not see a peak in the number of cases for another 45 days.