Chris Cuomo said 'Fredo' is an ethnic slur as he erupted in anger in a viral video. Is it?

A profanity-laced viral video showing CNN anchor Chris Cuomo erupting in anger after being called "Fredo" by a heckler has gained national attention and prompted widespread debate about the term, which he described as a slur toward Italian-Americans.

In the video, Cuomo stated that he's been taunted as "Fredo" before, likening it to other slurs hurled at other racial and ethnic groups. As the altercation gained national attention, President Donald Trump repeated the term as an insult directed at Cuomo.

CNN spokesman Matt Dornic came out in defense of Cuomo in what he called an "orchestrated setup," using the term "ethnic slur" to describe "Fredo," which traces its origins to a character in "The Godfather" trilogy.

"Punk (expletive) from the right call me 'Fredo.' My name is Chris Cuomo. I’m an anchor on CNN," Cuomo said in the viral video.

Cuomo has since responded to his initial comments, tweeting that this sort of harassment "happens all the time these days" in front of his family.

"But there is a lesson: no need to add to the ugliness; I should be better than what I oppose," he tweeted Tuesday.

What does 'Fredo' mean?

The term refers to the fictional Fredo Corleone — the second child of the Corleone clan in the "The Godfather" trilogy — and, as Cuomo puts it, the "weak brother."

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The late Mario Cuomo, Chris' father, notably denounced the movie upon its release in 1972 for portraying stereotypes of Italian-Americans, boycotting it for years until 2013 — when he saw the film for the first time, according to the New York Times.

Fredo's depiction in "The Godfather Part II" is not flattering. He is portrayed as weaker and less intelligent than his siblings due to a bout of childhood pneumonia. He was also a family traitor, who worked with a rival to put a hit on Michael Corleone.

"Fredo was an untrusted and untrustworthy son who, after being patronized and 'passed over' by his powerful family, came to betray his brother out of stupidity and ego," said Prof. Michael Mark Cohen, an American studies professor at UC Berkeley, to USA TODAY. "So yes, that's a custom made, deep cut kind of insult for someone like Chris Cuomo. And evidently it cut to the quick."

Fredo's demise in the film has become a cultural touchstone. As he recites the "Hail Mary" prayer, he is assassinated on a fishing boat at Lake Tahoe while Michael watches from a nearby lakehouse.

The scene was even alluded to by President Barack Obama at a speech he gave at the Lake Tahoe Summit in 2016.

"As I was flying over the lake, I was thinking about Fredo," Obama said, jokingly, eliciting laughter from the crowd. "It's tough."

Political commentator Ana Navarro used the term to describe Donald Trump, Jr. — who is not Italian-American — on Cuomo's own program earlier this year.

'Fredo,' an ethnic slur? It's debated

Although Cuomo in the video says Fredo is an insult on par with other racial slurs, many have taken Cuomo to task for drawing that comparison.

Countless Twitter users, some of whom identified as Italian-American, repudiated the claim, saying it downplays the offensiveness of other racial slurs leveled toward people of color.

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"It’s a MOVIE reference. Stop comparing it to the N-word," tweeted one user. "THIS invalidates when things are actually offensive to marginalized peoples."

Cohen said that there's a legacy of ethnic slurs that can be hurled at Italian-Americans, dating back to the early 20th century — after Italians migrated en masse to the United States at the turn of the century. But none of them have the same "power to insult" as as slurs used toward people of color, especially black people, he said.

Representatives at The National Italian American Foundation and the racial justice organization Race Forward did not immediately respond to a request for comment from USA TODAY.

Some on social media noted that, given Cuomo's family history with the film, the targeted taunt may have a meaning to the CNN anchor that is not felt by an entire ethnic group.

Support for Cuomo from conservatives, liberals alike

While the term "Fredo" being compared to an ethnic slur has sparked controversy, support for Cuomo has come from conservative and liberal figures alike.

Conservative pundit and Fox News host Sean Hannity defended Cuomo's outburst.

"He's out with his 9 year old daughter, and his wife, and this guy is being a [expletive] in front of his family," Hannity tweeted yesterday. "Chris Cuomo has zero to apologize for."

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And Neera Tanden, the president of the liberal organization Center for American Progress, defended Cuomo's outrage.

"People who tell you it’s ok to call an Italian man Fredo are the same people who said it was ok to throw money at a woman leader and call her a (expletive)," she tweeted.

Contributing: Cydney Henderson, USA TODAY. Follow Joshua Bote on Twitter: @joshua_bote

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Chris Cuomo 'Fredo' video sparks debate: Is 'Fredo' an ethnic slur?