CNN’s Chris Cuomo was out with his family when he was approached by a random guy and teased with the name “Fredo.” Cuomo then lost his cool and said some truly stupid things.

Now, should random people be approaching Cuomo in front of his wife and daughter, while they are out at dinner, merely to rile him up? No, but unless I missed it, Chris Cuomo didn’t strenously object when Ted Cruz and his wife, or Sarah Huckabee Sanders and her family, were chased out of restaurants by people who wanted to pick a fight with them when they were “off the clock,” so to speak. Could maybe both sides agree that people should be left alone to enjoy themselves when they are out in public – or in the privacy of their own homes?

That aside, it’s Cuomo’s reaction to the name “Fredo” that is truly hysterical. And by “hysterical,” I mean HE is hysterical about it.

Now, Fredo is an actual name. Not a slur, not “like the n-word;” it is an actual proper noun. In the first two “Godfather” movies (which are brilliant pieces of cinema), Fredo Corleone is established as the weak-willed, easily led brother. In the first movie, he’s sent to Vegas to basically stay out of the way. In the second movie, Fredo betrays his brother Michael in order to try and get a cut for himself. Now, unless anyone has forgotten, Chris Cuomo’s father Mario Cuomo was governor of New York. His brother Andrew Cuomo is the current governor of New York. Draw your own conclusions, because most people have, to great snarky effect.

Fredo was the weakest & stupidest of the family, so he was given an entertainment job. Any correlation to current events is purely coincidental.

— David Reaboi (@davereaboi) August 13, 2019

Cuomo’s overreaction to a taunt – one that he’s heard a hundred times before, one that he didn’t flip out when hearing before, nine years ago – is what made the news, and made him trend on Twitter. Welcome to the Streisand Effect, Fredo. You make a big deal about a small thing, and draw attention to that small thing, it becomes a very big thing. And in your case, gets you trending on Twitter for your very public temper tantrum.

Now, CNN rushed to pat poor Cuomo on the back and stand with him about how just oh-so-terrible this name-calling was. Except that they’ve allowed pretty much everyone to toss the name Fredo around whenever it suited them, especially when referring to the Trump family. In front of Chris Cuomo’s face. He didn’t even blink.

.@ananavarro slams Don Jr. for likening border wall to zoo fence: He's an "entitled, rich, spoiled little brat whose only call to fame is being his daddy's son."
"[D]addy kept Fredo back home…Who cares what [he] says. I don't want to talk about that entitled little brat." pic.twitter.com/zpTtp8ZfAd

— Cuomo Prime Time (@CuomoPrimeTime) January 10, 2019

And let’s just say that CNN isn’t exactly riding the moral high ground when it comes to “confrontational” moments with random people.

After several hours of cooling off, and watching his name and video trend on Twitter, Cuomo offered a half-hearted “I need to be better” admission.

Appreciate all the support but – truth is I should be better than the guys baiting me. This happens all the time these days. Often in front of my family. But there is a lesson: no need to add to the ugliness; I should be better than what I oppose.

— Christopher C. Cuomo (@ChrisCuomo) August 13, 2019

I think at this point, Cuomo just needs to suck it up and accept it. He triggered the Streisand Effect. What was once a running gag for Rush Limbaugh has now become Cuomo’s permanent nickname – all because he couldn’t not draw attention to it and freak out. Enjoy the show, Fredo.

Featured image: Chris Cuomo at the 2016 Democratic National Convention, cropped, public domain