Meet Michael Smerconish, a radio host and political commentator who will take over Chris Cuomo’s primetime hour on CNN

• Michael Smerconish broke away from the Republican party and is now a registered Independent.
• Smerconish has hosted several TV and radio programs, as well as authored seven novels.
• Next week, Smerconish will replace Chris Cuomo in CNN’s prime time slot.

SiriusXM radio host Michael Smerconish is slated to temporarily replace Chris Cuomo on CNN’s primetime slot next week, according to Variety.

A former Republican who is now a registered Independent, Smerconish has hosted a variety of programs across news mediums, including “The Michael Smerconish Program,” a SiriusXM daily talk-radio program, and “Smerconish,” a weekly Saturday TV program on CNN, according to his biography. He has also authored seven books, two of which are New York Times bestsellers.

Smerconish launched his career in politics at a young age and was appointed at age 29 to serve in the Department of Housing and Urban Development under President George Herbert Walker Bush’s administration. He publicly broke with the Republican party to endorse Barack Obama, citing the party’s failure to capture al-Qaeda leaders Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri following 9/11.

“The Bush administration’s failure to orchestrate a successful counterterrorism plan — one topped off with justice for Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri — has left me embarrassed of my party and angry. The oft-repeated explanations of the search being nuanced or covering difficult terrain should have worn thin long ago,” Smerconish wrote for Salon in 2008.

On Saturday, Smerconish was announced as the temporary replacement for Chris Cuomo, who CNN fired earlier in the day for his involvement in attempting to mitigate the sexual harassment scandal that resulted in his brother, Andrew Cuomo, resigning as governor of New York.

Chris Cuomo had served as the face of CNN’s 9 p.m. EST slot since 2018, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The network has not announced any immediate plans for a permanent replacement.

Insider has reached out to CNN for comment.