CNN President Jeff Zucker made a sexual joke about one of his female employees, "New Day" anchor Alisyn Camerota, while accepting an award on Thursday.

Zucker was being honored for leadership at the Mirror Awards, which recognizes excellence in journalism. The ceremony, hosted by Syracuse University, was being emceed by Camerota.

According to The Hollywood Reporter’s Jeremy Barr, Zucker jokingly told the anchor, "I was gonna say that I love waking up WITH YOU every morning, but I want to say that I love waking up TO YOU every morning."

Barr noted that "some groans" were heard in the room.

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Zucker's remark came after an acceptance speech made by New Yorker journalist Ronan Farrow, who received an award for his in-depth reporting on the sexual misconduct for ex-CBS chief Les Moonves, about holding the media accountable.

In a statement to The Daily Beast, Camerota defended her boss, saying it's the "oldest joke in the book."

"It’s the oldest joke in the book made to morning show anchors, both men and women,” Camerota said. "I hear it a couple of times a week from people in the grocery store. That isn’t harassment, in my opinion, and I didn’t find it tone deaf, either.”

CNN did not immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment.