Cuomo Did Not Reopen New York for His Daughter’s Wedding
The Claim
New York Governor Cuomo is lifting New York’s COVID restrictions not for public health reasons, but for his daughter’s upcoming wedding.
News posted on
Emerging story
On May 29, New York’s governor Andrew Cuomo announced that New York would begin lifting COVID restrictions. Two weeks later, a Facebook post stated, “Cuomo opens New York 72 hours before his daughter’s wedding, suckers.” The post doesn’t link to any new site or article but numerous social media users began sharing the claims. The rumor was posted on Facebook by a private group called “Quarantine the Quarantine,” and members began planning to hold a protest at the alleged wedding.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar’s investigation showed that the claim is false. The reason New York lifted its COVID restrictions was because 70% of residents had been vaccinated, not because of an alleged wedding.
Cuomo has three daughters—Michaela, and twins named Mariah and Cara. No news source of any kind, even tabloids, reported any upcoming or recently passed wedding for any of the three. What is reported is that in 1993 then-Governor Cuomo’s daughter had a wedding planned for June 12. The article simply states “Governor Cuomo” and fails to alert the reader that the Cuomo referred to is the now-deceased Mario Cuomo. The Cuomo getting reportedly getting married is Madeline Cuomo: Governor Andrew Cuomo’s sister.
The rumor spread so far that Cuomo’s Director of Communications and Senior Advisor, Richard Azzopardi, publicly decried the fake news in a tweet. Saying, “Seriously...you got duped,” Azzopardi less-than-delicately denied all allegations that any of Andrew Cuomo’s daughters were the Cuomo in question.
