Reporter Says She Was Not Pressured By New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo To Eat A Sausage In Resurfaced Video

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is currently facing two sexual harassment allegations. One involves him allegedly telling a female reporter to “eat the whole sausage.”

A video of Cuomo, 63, seemingly telling a female reporter to eat an entire sausage during a 2016 state fair has resurfaced on social media amid allegations the governor sexually harassed former staff members. “I want to see you eat the whole sausage,” Cuomo can be heard saying to NewsChannel 9 reporter Beth Cefalu. According to the New York Post, Cuomo’s daughter, Michaela, was sitting next to him at the time.

“I don’t know if I should eat the whole sausage in front of you, but I’m definitely going to eat it,” replied Cefalu, who now works as an anchor and reporter at News 12 Westchester. Cuomo then invited Cefalu to sit at his table; the two also snapped a photo with one another. “There’s too much sausage in that picture.”

People immediately responded to the video online. “It’s almost like he’s sexually harassing her in front of everybody and they’re just okay with it, probably because they’re used to it,” one user wrote. Someone else added, “His daughter looks so uncomfortable! Ew!!!”

However, some people feel people are reading into the situation too deeply. “She was standing there awkwardly taping him while he was trying to eat. Is it possible that he was passive-aggressively showing her how much it sucks to be videotaped while eating?” one person questioned. Another person said, “I dislike this dude as much as anyone but it’s nonsense like this getting mixed up with actual allegations that water down the whole thing.

Social media has slammed Cuomo’s dinner with Beth Cefalu,” he said. “He’s eating a hot dog, he’s obviously not that happy about being recorded scarfing one down and then asks her to eat one, she says yes.”

Cefalu also responded to the headlines via Twitter. “I was not pressured/harassed this is two people enjoying the one event – the NYS fair – that gives them a little more freedom to be informal. Its really sad it’s being turned into anything more,” Cefalu said in response to a Fox News article with the headline, “Cuomo once urged female reporter to eat an entire sausage sandwich in front of him.”

In a statement, Cuomo responded to the allegations, saying that he apologizes for making jokes that “may have been insensitive or too personal.”

“I now understand that my interactions may have been insensitive or too personal and that some of my comments, given my position, made others feel in ways I never intended. I acknowledge some of the things I have said have been misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation. To the extent anyone felt that way, I am truly sorry about that,” he said.

just thinking back to that time NY Governor Andrew Cuomo hounded a local news reporter to "eat the whole sausage" pic.twitter.com/EyNxFavOyG

— Matt Binder (@MattBinder) February 28, 2021

I was not pressured/harassed
this is two people enjoying the one event – the NYS fair – that gives them a little more freedom to be informal. Its really sad it’s being turned into anything more. https://t.co/sISlRUR8ER

— Beth Cefalu (@BethanyCefalu) March 1, 2021