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CNN fired star primetime anchor Chris Cuomo on Saturday after the network said “new information” emerged on the extent of his involvement with his brother’s battle against sexual harassment allegations.

Cuomo is “livid” at his termination and in talks with lawyers, a person familiar with the matter told The Daily Beast.

This is not how I want my time at CNN to end. But I have already told you why and how I helped my brother,” Cuomo said in a statement immediately after the news broke.

The top-rated anchor’s termination came as a surprise to many. The network had announced his suspension just four days earlier, on Tuesday, and by Saturday the investigation had uncovered “additional information” and the Cuomo Prime Time host was swiftly kicked to the curb.

It was not immediately clear what new information prompted the decision.

A spokesperson for Cuomo denied the allegation and questioned whether the claim is what led to his “unwarranted termination.”

But CNN, for its part, said the host’s fate at the network was sealed before the allegation came to light.

“Based on the report we received regarding Chris’s conduct with his brother’s defense, we had cause to terminate. When new allegations came to us this week, we took them seriously, and saw no reason to delay taking immediate action,” a CNN spokesperson said in a statement.

Documents released earlier this week as part of an investigation by New York’s attorney general painted a damning picture of the news anchor’s role in his brother’s defense strategy.

CNN execs said: “Chris Cuomo was suspended earlier this week pending further evaluation of new information that came to light about his involvement with his brother’s defense. We retained a respected law firm to conduct the review, and have terminated him, effective immediately. While in the process of that review, additional information has come to light. Despite the termination, we will investigate as appropriate.”

The law firm began its review of Cuomo’s on-air remarks versus what he told his employer mid-week and concluded it Friday, per a person familiar with the process, and CNN president Jeff Zucker informed Cuomo on Saturday that he would be fired.

“Today, I let Chris know that we are ending his employment at CNN. It goes without saying that these decisions are not easy, and there are a lot of complex factors involved,” Zucker wrote in an internal memo to staff.

Though Anderson Cooper has taken over the airtime previously occupied by Cuomo’s show on Tuesday night, CNN insiders suggest Jake Tapper is the front runner to take Cuomo’s 9 p.m. time slot.

Tapper, who was the only CNN personality who has publicly criticized Cuomo's behavior, did not respond to a request for comment.

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