CNN president Jeff Zucker reportedly came close to firing Chris Cuomo last Tuesday -- Jake Tapper isn't interested in taking over CNN's 9 p.m. timeslot

Vanity Fair

Vanity Fair's Joe Pompeo reports that CNN and Cuomo are "on the brink of all-out war" amid reports that the fired Cuomo Prime Time host is preparing to sue for $18 million, the remainder of the contract he signed last year. Pompeo reports that Cuomo believed he was up front with Zucker about his involvement in fending off the sexual harassment scandal involving his brother, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. But Pompeo reports that sources close to Zucker say Cuomo never apprised him of the most damaging details that were released last week in the New York Attorney General's report last Monday. Pompeo also reports that last Tuesday, one day before an unnamed former ABC News colleague of Cuomo's contacted CNN via her attorney, alleging sexual harassment, Zucker considered firing the anchor. "He cooled off and suspended Cuomo instead," Pompeo says of Zucker. "In either case, there’s sure to be renewed scrutiny on Cuomo’s past, in a #MeToo sense," adds Pompeo. "CNN was aware for several months that the (New York) Times had been sniffing around on it. Cuomo, for his part, is not taking things lying down." Cuomo's spokesperson says of the sexual harassment allegation: “These apparently anonymous allegations are not true. If the goal in making these false and unvetted accusations was to see Mr. Cuomo punished by CNN, that may explain his unwarranted termination.” Meanwhile, Pompeo reports Jake Tapper has told colleagues "he does not want the 9 p.m. show, citing family time and his straight-news approach compared to the more perspective-driven style that viewers have come to expect in the hour." ALSO: Don Lemon has been silent on the firing of his "brother" Cuomo, who co-hosts their The Handoff podcast.