Chris Cuomo tells brother Gov. Andrew Cuomo about coronavirus hallucinations: 'You came to me in a dream' in a 'ballet outfit'

Updated ·6 min read

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo had a special guest during Thursday’s press conference: younger brother, Chris Cuomo. The CNN Host, 49, virtually crashed the coronavirus briefing, two days after revealing he tested positive for COVID-19. The Cuomo brothers had an informative and humorous exchange with Chris sharing some very specific hallucinations his fever has caused.

“You’re looking fit and fine. Many people are asking about you, I’ll tell you the truth — everyone is asking about you,” the 62-year-old governor began. “So, how are you feeling?”

“I’m doing pretty well all things considered. This is very tough, I get it now,” Chris replied. “I’ve now become part of this group of people who have this virus.”

Chris said he’s had a “constant fever” which has been “tough.”

“It’s not doing great on my hair, I have to be honest,” Chris quipped. “You look like you’ve been cutting your own hair… so I’ve chosen to wear a hat because I don’t want to butcher my own haircut.”

Gov. Cuomo was amused as they bantered back and forth.

“Now that I know the fight that I’m in for, I’m more comfortable,” Chris continued. “I see why it takes people out, you gotta rest because your body has the fever because it’s fighting the virus and you’ve gotta chill.”

Chris, who is quarantined in the basement of his family home, said he’s “very lucky” as he has people around — even though he’s not seeing anyone.

“I have a wife who loves me who’s keeping me fed, I’ve got a nice place to be. You’ve been very smart Andrew in getting people to think about how they can reach out and help people without contact,” Chris noted. “A lot of people are fighting this alone and I can’t imagine that. I can barely keep it together and I have everything done for me, I’m very lucky. There are a lot of people who are in a bad way and they’re reaching out to me and I feel for them. So, we’re in a real fight and we really do have to remember our connections to each other because otherwise, there will be no way through it.”

Chris explained that his symptoms didn’t really hit until after he was diagnosed with the coronavirus. In a statement Tuesday, the CNN anchor said he got tested as he was “exposed to people in recent days who have subsequently tested positive.”

“[Tuesday] night I got hit with a fever and those rigors,” Chris explained. He has been broadcasting Cuomo Prime Time from his basement and revealed on Wednesday’s show the rigors were so bad he chipped his tooth from shivering.

“It was like out of a movie, I’ll tell ya,” Chris told his older brother. “I had hallucinations, I was seeing Pop, you came to me in a dream. You had on a very interesting ballet outfit and you were dancing in the dream and you were waving a wand and saying, ‘I wish I could wave my wand and make this go away’ and then you spun around and you danced away.”

Gov. Cuomo laughed.

“There’s a lot of metaphoric reality in that one,” he replied. “I thank you for sharing that with us.”

“I can’t get that picture out of my head,” Chris laughed.

“You look good, you sound good. I know that sometimes we joke, I’m not going to do that today,” Gov. Cuomo added. “You know, rule one is you never hit a brother when he’s down and you’re literally in the basement, so I’m going to refrain from any rebuttal today.”

The brothers ended on a serious note. The governor thanked Chris for helping demystify the coronavirus.

“You are answering questions for millions of Americans,” the elder Cuomo shared.

“I can tell people — of course I’m your brother I’ll never be objective about you, you’re my favorite guy — I’ve never seen you work harder,” Chris noted. “You’ve done everything you can to stay positive with the federal government and that is so important right now. You’re doing everything you can. Unfortunately — look, what's one of the big lessons in life that Pop always used to tell us? Certain things you're not going to be able to control, certain things are going to happen. This virus is one of them. … I’m very proud of you big brother, I’ll tell you that.”

The admiration is mutual.

“I’ve said at this briefing, this is a transformative moment for the state, for the country,” Gov. Cuomo replied. “I also believe it’s a moment where you really see what people are made of. … For you, when they told you you tested positive, a lot of people’s instinct would have been to get in bed, pull the covers over your head and just lay there. For you to get up, do that show, share with people — that is a strength and a character strength that is really incredible.”

Gov. Cuomo thanked his brother for showing strength and a “dedication to journalism.”

“I’ve been saying a thousand times, 80 percent of the people get it and they will self resolve, but you’re showing that,” he continued. “Not many people would have stood up the way you have stood up. I have always been proud of you, you know that… But I’ve never been prouder of you than I am right now. You go get some rest, I love you.”

Gov. Cuomo concluded by telling his brother there’s light at the end of the tunnel.

“You’re going to get through it and you’re going to do a beautiful public service in the meantime,” he added. “Then we’ll go fishing, we’ll have a drink and we’ll laugh about it.”

For the latest coronavirus news and updates, follow along at https://news.yahoo.com/coronavirus. According to experts, people over 60 and those who are immunocompromised continue to be the most at risk. If you have questions, please reference the CDC and WHO’s resource guides.

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