Gov. Cuomo Drops N-Word During Live Radio Interview

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Gov. Andrew Cuomo left radio listeners stunned after he said the n-word during an on-air conversation

During his Tuesday appearance on public radio WAMC, Cuomo moved away from a question about the state’s delayed Medicaid payments

He subsequently cited the New York Times editorial use of the derogatory term – steering the conversation toward anti-Italian sentiments

Gov. Andrew Cuomo left radio listeners stunned after he said the n-word during an on-air conversation that started with Medicaid and shifted to discrimination against Italian-Americans.

During his Tuesday appearance on public radio station WAMC in Albany, Cuomo, a Democrat, moved away from a question about the state’s delayed Medicaid payments asked by host Alan Chartock and subsequently cited the New York Times' editorial use of the derogatory term – steering the conversation toward anti-Italian sentiments.

The governor, noting he was referencing a New York Times editorial about the racist language used to describe Italian immigrants in the past, said his ancestors were often referred to as “n----r w--s.”

On Saturday, the NY Times published the op-ed "How Italians Became White" in which the derogatory slur is found. The op-ed analyzed the discrimination faced by Italians in the United States in the past. It is unclear if Cuomo was specifically referring to this opinion piece.

Mitchell Leff/Getty Images, File

His office had no immediate official comment as of early Tuesday afternoon.

The comment came a day after Cuomo celebrated Columbus Day and pledged his full support for a memorial for Mother Cabrini – an Italian-American nun -- in New York City.

It is not the first time the governor has used charged language in public. In March, when he visited a predominantly black church on Palm Sunday, he shocked people when he suggested that Jews could not dance.

Delil Souleiman/AFP via Getty Images

"I'm a Catholic," Cuomo told parishioners at Harlem's Mount Neboh Baptist Church, the NY Post reported at the time. "Catholics basically believe the same thing as Baptists believe. We just do it without the rhythm. But we try. We try. We are not as without rhythm as our Jewish brothers and sisters."