Rep Brad Sherman, 71, denies looking at explicit images on flight as photos go viral

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Democratic Rep Brad Sherman is pushing back hard after photos went viral appearing to show him viewing explicit images on a cross-country flight, triggering intense scrutiny and millions of views online.

The 71-year-old California congressman became the center of a social media firestorm after images posted to X showed him staring at a tablet with his mouth open while scrolling through photos of women in their underwear.

Sherman, however, says the entire controversy is based on a misunderstanding of X’s algorithm, and he insists he was not intentionally viewing anything inappropriate.

Brad Sherman blames Elon Musk’s algorithm for viral flight photos

In a statement to Fox News Digital, a spokesperson for Sherman said the photos misrepresented what he was doing.

“This was nothing more than scrolling through Twitter and unfortunately, Elon Musk has ruined the Twitter algorithm to give people content that they don’t ask for or subscribe to,” the spokesperson said. Sherman later told Punchbowl News the images had appeared on his feed under the platform’s “For You” recommendation tab.

“This was on Twitter. These pictures came up on ‘For You’,” Sherman said, adding that during a long flight, “If you have to fly across the country, you look at a lot of stuff on your tablet.”

He even offered a moment of blunt honesty: “If I see a picture of a woman, might I look at it longer than a sunset? Yeah.”

Sherman told Punchbowl News that he did not believe the material would even be considered inappropriate by Musk, but admitted it was still not suitable to view on a flight.

But by then, the photos had already lit up the internet, and political figures on both sides had jumped into the fray.

Don Jr and Nancy Mace weigh in as Brad Sherman defends viral photos

Donald Trump Jr reacted to the viral post with a blunt, “Yikes!!!!” Sherman quickly hit back, posting an edited version of the flight photo with the tablet screen replaced by the words “Release the Epstein files.”

Republican Rep Nancy Mace also chimed in, writing, “I don’t want to hear a single peep from anyone in/around Congress, or the media, [about] how I stroll through an airport ever again.”

Mace herself has been in the spotlight recently after demanding the resignation of Charleston Airport CEO Elliot Summey and threatening legal action over claims she mistreated airport staff.

Viral Sherman photos spark debate on tech algorithms and privacy

As the photos continue to circulate, Sherman maintains he did nothing wrong and insists the controversy is yet another example of how platform algorithms can lead to unwanted content appearing in a user’s feed.

For now, the images have reignited debates over whether public officials should be held to stricter standards while traveling or whether they are simply victims of a hyper-viral internet culture.