Rep. Brad Sherman has denied intentionally viewing explicit content on a flight, saying photos shared online showed algorithm-generated suggestions on his X “For You” page, according to a report from Metro UK.
California congressman Brad Sherman has denied intentionally viewing explicit content on a flight after photos of him looking at images of scantily clad women went viral according to a report from METRO UK. The 71-year-old Democrat was photographed on a plane with his tablet screen displaying pictures of women in underwear and bikinis, prompting widespread mockery online.
The images were first posted on X by a user who questioned “why did California Congressman Brad Sherman feel it was appropriate to look at porn on his iPad during a flight today?” The post quickly gained millions of views, with the White House communications director Steven Cheung describing the lawmaker as a “total gooner.”
Sherman, however, rejected suggestions that he has a pornography problem, telling Punchbowl News that the content appeared on his algorithm-generated feed. “If I see a picture of a woman, might I look at it longer than a sunset? Yeah,” he said, adding, “If you have to fly across the country, you look at a lot of stuff on your tablet.”
Critics argued that X’s “For You” page reflects a user’s prior interests, though the platform states that recommendations can also come from accounts users do not follow. Some users defended the congressman, noting their own feeds often show unrelated or unwanted content.
The incident has drawn comparisons to a 2022 case in the UK in which Conservative MP Neil Parish resigned after admitting to watching pornography in Parliament.