CNN's Chris Cuomo and Don Lemon usually engage in a spirited banter before Cuomo hands the hour following Cuomo Prime Time over to his colleague.
But Cuomo faced backlash after commenting he was "Black on the inside" at the tail-end of his program on Friday.
The 50-year-old journalist sang the theme song to the 1970s sitcom, Good Times—which featured a Black family's life in the Chicago projects.
Lemon, who is Black, chuckled at his friend's jovial rendition and asked:
"How do you know the words to Good Times?"
Cuomo replied:
"You know I'm Black on the inside."
Lemon glossed over his colleague's response by continuing to sing the theme song at a higher volume to avoid an awkward pause.
You can watch the clip here.
Clips from the on-air segment went viral over the weekend prompting social media users to express disappointment in the venerable host.
"It's f'king offensive, said journalist @AishaStaggers, adding:
"Black isn't something you can just say you feel you are inside without having to deal with the racism that comes with being physically Black on the outside."
Others, like USA journalist Mike Freeman, also responded to the remark.
After being under fire, Cuomo wrote on Twitter:
"Said with all respect to reality and our need to fight this amplification of color animus."
"There is no understanding what it is to live as a Black person in America if you are White but it is so important to listen. The majority must change racism."
One Twitter user responded:
"Oh, Chris. Yikes. We are allies, we are not Black."
To which Cuomo said:
"Absolutely true. And too many are not. I really do think my kids' generation is different tho [sic]. They are not merely 'woke' or pc or language police, they really seem to date and hang and choose as fam, a real range of color, creed and identity."
Whether Cuomo addresses his remarks on air remains to be seen.
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