Fox News host Sean Hannity defended CNN anchor Chris Cuomo after he threatened a heckler who insulted him as 'Fredo'

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Chris Cuomo on "New Day."

• Fox News host Sean Hannity defended CNN anchor Chris Cuomo forcefully shutting down a man who heckled and insulted him, a confrontation that was filmed and subsequently went viral on Monday night.
• In the video, Cuomo threatened a man who insulted him as a "Fredo," a reference to the least smart and capable brother of the Corleone mafia family portrayed in "The Godfather" books and movies.
• "He's out with his 9-year-old daughter and his wife, and this guy is being a jack--- in front of his family. [In my opinion], Chris Cuomo has zero to apologize for. He deserves the apology," Hannity tweeted.
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Fox News host Sean Hannity defended CNN anchor Chris Cuomo forcefully shutting down a man who heckled and insulted him, a confrontation that was filmed and subsequently went viral on Monday night.

In the video, a man approaches Cuomo and insulted him as a "Fredo," a reference to the hapless brother of the Corleone mafia family portrayed in "The Godfather" books and movies.

Cuomo responded by arguing that "Fredo" is a slur comparable to the n-word for Italian Americans (which was widely disputed across the Internet), and threatened the man that he would "ruin your s---" and "f----- throw you down these stairs like a "f----- punk."

Despite Fox and CNN being direct competitors whose hosts frequently criticize each others' coverage, Hannity stuck up for his rival primetime host's response in a Monday tweet.

"I say good for @ChrisCuomo. He's out with his 9-year-old daughter and his wife, and this guy is being a jack--- in front of his family. [In my opinion], Chris Cuomo has zero to apologize for. He deserves the apology," Hannity tweeted.

Hannity's response significantly differed from that of his close ally President Donald Trump, who tweeted "I thought Chris was Fredo also. The truth hurts," and later wrote that Cuomo deployed, "filthy language and a total loss of control," adding, "he shouldn't be allowed to have any weapon. He's nuts."

Read more: 'The truth hurts': Trump pokes fun at CNN anchor Chris Cuomo being insulted as 'Fredo' by a heckler

"Fredo" and "The Godfather" quickly became trending topics on Twitter after a CNN spokesman tweeted that Cuomo "defended himself when he was verbally attacked with the use of an ethnic slur in an orchestrated setup. We completely support him."

"Fredo," however, is not an ethnic slur, but an insult to a person's intelligence compared to their father and brothers.

In "The Godfather" books and movies, Fredo Corleone is the weakest link in his mafia family, perceived as less intelligent and capable than his two brothers Sonny and Michael, who were selected by their father Vito Corleone to inherit the family organized crime business.

Cuomo also comes from a powerful Italian-American New York family. His late father Mario Cuomo was New York's governor and a powerful figure in Democratic politics for decades, and his older brother Andrew Cuomo is the current governor of New York.