International Emmys takes back takes back Andrew Cuomo's honorary award

Variety

The International Emmys stripped Cuomo of his Founders Award less than a day after the former New York governor stepped down from office due to a sexual misconduct scandal. The organization announced 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. His name and any reference to his receiving the award will be eliminated from International Academy materials going forward.” Cuomo received the award for the way he used television during daily pandemic press conferences in early 2020. Bruce L. Paisner, International Academy president and CEO said in announcing Cuomo's award: "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. 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.” During a ceremony in November, Ben Stiller, Rosie Perez, Robert De Niro and Spike Lee were among the stars who virtually congratulated Cuomo as he accepted the Founders Award. “I was trying to think of something that I could say to you that would be funny, so I called your brother Chris who could not understand why you were getting an Emmy when he’s the one on television,” Stiller told him.