US television host Chris Cuomo has been widely ridiculed after sharing a deepfake video of Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Instagram. The video, clearly watermarked as a deepfake, depicted a fake Ocasio-Cortez arguing that a Sydney Sweeney jeans advert was racist.
Cuomo, who hosts a show on NewsNation, posted the video with a comment criticising Ocasio-Cortez for focusing on “culture wars” rather than Hamas or attacks on Jewish people. Ocasio-Cortez quickly responded, telling Cuomo to “use your critical thinking skills” and noting the video was a deepfake.
Cuomo deleted the post but then doubled down, writing that while the video was fake, “it really does sound like you”. He continued to press Ocasio-Cortez on Hamas, prompting her to suggest he “call someone” for help writing an apology. Cuomo later defended himself on air, saying: “Correcting a mistake is simple... explaining why you don’t call on terrorists to surrender is as well.”
The blunder drew mockery from fellow TV personality Piers Morgan, who advised Cuomo to “spend less time bitching about me and more time trying to spot obvious fakes”. Cuomo was fired by CNN in 2021 over his involvement in aiding his brother Andrew Cuomo’s defence against sexual harassment allegations.
