Andrew Cuomo Loses His Emmy on Same Day He’s Replaced as Governor

In the latest blow to his legacy, former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York has been stripped of the Emmy Award he received last year for his popular briefings on the coronavirus.

The announcement from the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences on Tuesday came the day after Mr. Cuomo resigned and hours after Gov. Kathy Hochul was sworn in to replace him. It marks another loss for Mr. Cuomo as his legacy is reconsidered following a scathing report by the state attorney general’s office that found he had sexually harassed 11 women, including several of his aides.

Mr. Cuomo received the International Emmy Founders Award last year for his daily briefings on the Covid-19 pandemic, which drew millions of viewers, boosted his national profile and turned him into a symbol of comfort and strong leadership for many Americans.

In a statement Tuesday, the academy said it had pulled the award because of the sexual harassment allegations and Mr. Cuomo’s resignation.

“The International Academy announced today that in light of the New York attorney general’s report, and Andrew Cuomo’s subsequent resignation as governor, it is rescinding his special 2020 International Emmy Award,” the organization said. “His name and any reference to his receiving the award will be eliminated from International Academy materials going forward.”

The Founders Award is presented to an individual or organization who “crosses cultural boundaries to touch our common humanity,” the academy said. Prior recipients of the award include former Vice President Al Gore and Oprah Winfrey.

During the presentation of Mr. Cuomo’s award at a virtual ceremony last November, the academy played clips from his briefings as well as video messages of praise from New York icons like Spike Lee, Robert De Niro, Rosie Perez and Billy Crystal.

“The governor’s 111 daily briefings worked so well because he effectively created television shows, with characters, plot lines, and stories of success and failure,” Bruce L. Paisner, the president and chief executive of the International Academy, said in a statement announcing the award. “People around the world tuned in to find out what was going on, and New York tough became a symbol of the determination to fight back.”

But Mr. Cuomo’s star sank dramatically in the wake of the attorney general’s report, criticism over allegations of undercounted nursing home deaths during the pandemic and a push for impeachment, culminating in his resignation Monday night.

A spokesman for Mr. Cuomo did not immediately respond to a request for comment.