- By Supratik Das
- Mon, 17 Nov 2025 04:17 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
US Democratic Representative Brad Sherman has denied allegations that he was watching pornographic material on his iPad during a flight, after images captured by a fellow passenger went viral on X. The photographs, showing the 71-year-old Californian scrolling through pictures of scantily clad women, triggered a wave of criticism and mockery across social media platforms.
The viral post, shared by the popular account Dear White Staffers, questioned Sherman’s conduct and said his district “deserved better representation.” The post quickly amassed more than 15 million views and thousands of reactions within hours.
X Algorithm Flooded His Feed With Unwanted Images
Sherman and his office have strongly rejected claims that he was intentionally viewing explicit content. In a statement to the New York Post, his spokesperson said the congressman had simply been browsing the “For You” page on X which is curated by the platform’s recommendation system.“This was nothing more than scrolling through Twitter — and unfortunately Elon Musk has ruined the Twitter algorithm to give people content that they do not ask for or subscribe to,” his spokesperson said.
Sherman echoed the statement during a conversation with Punchbowl News, insisting that the images surfaced automatically. “These pictures came up on the ‘For You’ feed. If you have to fly across the country, you look at a lot of stuff on your tablet. I must’ve looked at more than 1,000 posts,” he said.
Why did California Congressman Brad Sherman feel it was appropriate to look at porn on his iPad during a flight today? His district deserves better representation than this!! #CA32 pic.twitter.com/gAYZ82tyr2
— Dear White Staffers (@dearwhitestaff) November 14, 2025
Is It Pornography?
When asked whether he considered the images inappropriate to view in public, Sherman responded candidly. “Is it pornography? I don’t think Elon Musk thinks so. Is it appropriate? No,” he said. He added that while he might look at a photo of a woman “longer than a sunset,” it did not amount to watching explicit content. The lawmaker also posted a humorous edited version of the viral photo, replacing the images on his screen with the words “Release the Epstein files,” pushing back at critics who accused him of misconduct.
Sherman’s explanation did little to calm the storm. White House communications director Steven Cheung mocked the congressman by calling him “a total gooner.” Donald Trump Jr. reacted with a blunt “Yikes!!!!” Republican Representative Nancy Mace also joined the debate, posting that she did not want to hear “a single peep” about her own recent airport incident after Sherman’s controversy.
Many social media users called the incident “embarrassing,” while others argued that the algorithmic behaviour of X under Musk has increasingly pushed borderline or suggestive content into timelines without user consent.
Sherman, who represents California’s 32nd Congressional District, has not indicated whether he plans to take up the issue formally with X or adjust his social-media settings. He maintains that the incident has been blown out of proportion, describing it as an unfortunate by-product of a flawed algorithm.
