Chris Cuomo's Biography

Chris Cuomo is co-anchor of "20/20" and chief law and justice correspondent.

ByABC News
May 7, 2007, 11:58 AM

— -- Chris Cuomo is co-anchor of "20/20," the Emmy Award-winning ABC Newsmagazine, and he is also the Chief Law and Justice Correspondent for ABC News, covering legal and breaking news for the entire network.

At 20/20, Cuomo has covered major breaking stories Cuomo such as the recent earthquake in Haiti and the rash of bullying in the country. However his primary role has been to champion purposeful long-form journalism. His most hour-long documentaries exposed the growing number of homeless teens in America and a groundbreaking look at the new face of heroin. His year-long coverage on these issues revealed suburban heroin addiction attacking families like never before, and the reality that families are casting-off promising kids who have nowhere to go, except the streets.

Chris' investigative efforts have been a corner stone of ABC News' "Gets Answers" series, tackling dozens of cases against major companies, especially health insurance companies, for families whose situations exemplify larger industry issues. More importantly, these stories have resulted in real change. A few examples: American Express changed policy after card member exploitation was discovered by ABC News; a tip from a BMW owner about engine shut-down issues led to a recall of over 150,000 affected models; the effect of zinc in denture cream revealed an alleged cover-up of neurological problems and resulted in the FDA acting on the situation; a hidden camera expose on for-profit school recruiters, led to new standards of disclosure to potential students. (A follow-up story showed there were still problems, and more change was instituted); and dozens of families have received medical treatment and coverage after hounding insurance companies about denials and methods of coverage.

From September 2006 - December 2009, Cuomo was the news anchor for "Good Morning America." Cuomo was the primary reporter on all breaking news stories, both at home and around the world, including dozens of assignments in some 10 countries. He covered the war on terrorism, embedded on multiple occasions in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq (where his convoy was hit by an IED). At home, he covered all stories, including tragic crimes, such as the shootings at Virginia Tech, Ft. Hood, and the Pennsylvania Amish school shootings; hurricanes Katrina and Rita; as well as the Sago Mine collapse, and the Minneapolis bridge collapse in August 2007. Often Cuomo would anchor morning and evening coverage, and much of the work was rewarded for outstanding journalism.

"Cuomo on the Case" is a web catalog of ongoing Cuomo stories and it is where you can reach-out to Chris with story ideas. There are also a host of other hot-button stories covered there.

Cuomo takes great pride in his weekly digital programs, "The Real Deal" and "Focus on Faith" with Father Edward Beck on ABC News Now, the network's 24-hour digital outlet. The weekly web-based interactive show "The Real Deal" takes all the spin away from stories that affect your life, so you can make your own decisions. "Focus on Faith" answers the most recent spiritual questions and controversies with Cuomo often playing Devil's Advocate.

Cuomo's reporting and investigations have been recognized with dozens of journalism awards, including multiple Emmy nominations and awards for his investigative reporting and news coverage (9/11, Charitable hospitals, Best Morning Show, various breaking news stories). Notably, Cuomo's "Good Morning America" profile of inspiring 12-year-old poet, Mattie Stepanek, was recognized with a News Emmy making Cuomo one of the youngest correspondents to receive a News Emmy in network news history.Additionally, Cuomo has been awarded Polk and Peabody awards for team coverage and his work has been singled out in the areas of breaking news, business news, and legal news, with the Edward R. Murrow award for breaking news coverage, a Loeb Award for business reporting and the American Bar Association Silver Gavel Award for investigating juvenile justice.

Before joining ABC News, Cuomo was a correspondent for the Fox News Channel and Fox Broadcast Network's, "Fox Files," where he covered a wide range of stories focusing on controversial social issues. He also served as a political policy analyst for Fox News Channel. Prior to Fox News, Cuomo practiced law and worked in structured finance.

A licensed attorney, Cuomo received his law degree from the Fordham University School of Law in New York City and his undergraduate degree from Yale University. He lives in New York City with his wife, Cristina, and their three jewels.