Chris Cuomo is catching serious heat after he shared a fake AI-generated video of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on social media — and doubled down even after being called out.
The former CNN anchor, now with NewsNation, posted a doctored clip on X, showing a deepfaked version of AOC appearing to deliver a bizarre and profanity-filled rant about actress Sydney Sweeney’s recent denim ad. In the fake video, the congresswoman supposedly called the ad “blatant Nazi propaganda” — something she never actually said, according to The Independent.
Alongside the video, Cuomo added his own commentary, writing, “Nothing about Hamas or people burning jews’ cars…but Sweeney jeans ad? Deserved time on the floor of Congress? What happened to this party? Fight for small business…not for small culture wars.”
She jumped in quickly to correct the record, replying directly to Cuomo, “This is a deepfake, dude. Please use your critical thinking skills. At this point, you’re just reposting Facebook memes and calling it journalism.”
The video was clearly manipulated, and multiple users pointed out that it had all the telltale signs of AI tampering. But what really riled people up was Cuomo’s response, or rather, lack of a proper one. He didn’t issue an apology, clarify the clip was fake, or even remove the post.
Instead, it came off like he tried to sidestep the issue entirely — a move that didn’t go unnoticed. Social media users and media watchdogs lit him up for spreading disinformation and not taking responsibility. Some called it “lazy journalism,” while others accused him of deliberately fuelling a bad-faith attack for clicks and engagement.
Cuomo has had what some describe as a “one-sided feud” with Ocasio-Cortez for a while now, but this incident added fuel to the fire. Critics are saying that using an obviously fake clip to score political points crosses a serious line — especially for someone who still claims the title of journalist.
The fact that the clip was so over-the-top should have been an immediate red flag, yet Cuomo shared it anyway. And instead of correcting the record when called out by the person targeted in the video, he seemed to double down by remaining silent and letting the post stay up.
For a media figure who’s spent years in primetime defending facts and pushing back against fake news, this moment is striking — and not in a good way. Whether it was a misstep or something more deliberate, Cuomo’s refusal to admit the video was AI-generated or to issue any sort of correction has sparked outrage and disappointment across the board.
In an era where misinformation spreads like wildfire and deepfakes are becoming harder to spot, critics say journalists have a bigger responsibility than ever to be accurate, not just provocative. And right now, a lot of people feel like Cuomo dropped the ball.