Democratic congressman Brad Sherman denies viewing porn on flight

Democratic Rep. Brad Sherman is fighting back after photos went viral showing him looking at explicit images on a tablet while boarding a flight, sparking rapid backlash online.

Images posted to X on Friday appeared to show the California congressman, 71, staring at a tablet with his mouth open while scrolling through photos of women in underwear.

“Why did California Congressman Brad Sherman consider it appropriate to watch porn on his iPad during a flight today?” an X message read.

The post had garnered 12.4 million views as of Saturday evening.

Sherman denied the allegations, with a spokesperson for the congressman telling Fox News Digital that the images appeared because of his X — formerly Twitter — algorithm.

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Rep. Brad Sherman, Democrat of California, leaves the House Democratic caucus meeting at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on November 15, 2022. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

“It was nothing more than scrolling through Twitter — and unfortunately, Elon Musk ruined Twitter’s algorithm to serve people content they don’t ask for or subscribe to,” a spokesperson for Sherman told Fox News Digital in an email.

Sherman also told Punchbowl News that the images appeared on his X feed in X’s “For You” section – a page that displays recommended content.

“It was on Twitter. These photos appeared on ‘For You,'” Sherman told Punchbowl News, adding that he looked at various posts while flying across the country.

“If you have to fly across the country, you watch a lot of things on your tablet,” he said.

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“If I see a picture of a woman, could I look at it longer than a sunset? Yeah.”

When asked if he thought the content was appropriate for viewing on a plane, Sherman told Punchbowl News: “Is it pornography? I don’t think Elon Musk thinks so. Is it appropriate? No.”

The images quickly sparked numerous reactions on social networks.

Donald Trump Jr. responded to the viral post with “Ouch!!!!! »

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Donald Trump Jr. speaks during an interview with Bloomberg Television in New York, July 15, 2025. (Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Hitting back at Donald Trump Jr., Sherman posted an edited version of the photo showing his iPad screen replaced with the words “Release the Epstein Files.”

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., also weighed in, writing, “I don’t want to hear a single word from anyone in/around Congress, or the media, [about] how I walk through an airport again.

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Mace recently called for the resignation of Charleston Airport CEO Elliot Summey and threatened legal action after airport officials accused her of mistreating staff.

X did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.