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Streamer Hasan Piker sues CNN commentator Scott Jennings for defamation, seeking $72.5 million

Piker says Jennings aired a rearranged video and falsely said he called for lynchings, and Jennings declined to comment to the New York Post.

9 news outlets reported this
Liberal2 outletsCenter4 outletsConservative3 outlets
Published 4 min read
Overview

Hasan Piker, a progressive streamer, filed a defamation lawsuit on Tuesday against Scott Jennings, a conservative commentator who also works for CNN. The 38-page complaint was filed in federal court in Washington, D.C. It concerns the Aug. 11 episode of "The Scott Jennings Show," where Jennings aired a video of Piker and said Piker was calling for Black voters to be lynched. Piker says the video combined pieces of three Twitch livestreams, rearranged them and removed context.

He says he was mocking a conservative commentator in a 2024 debate who blamed "woke DAs" for policies that hurt Black Americans. The complaint also says Jennings added an on-screen caption that Piker never said. Piker asks for $72.5 million in total: $27.5 million to compensate him for harm and $45 million in punitive damages.

NBC News and The Guardian report that Jennings had not responded publicly. They also report that the complaint says Jennings was reported to be under consideration for White House press secretary at the time. Most of the detail comes from Piker's own complaint.

The Daily Wire adds that, as a public figure, Piker must prove Jennings acted with "actual malice."

Three sides of the story

Liberal2 outlets

NBC News and The Guardian lay out the complaint's account in detail. Both stress that Piker was sarcastically ridiculing another commentator, and both report the caption the complaint says Jennings added. The Guardian adds that the video dropped the words "he said" and other cues.

NBC reports that the debate Piker was reacting to was edited out. Both include the complaint's claim that Jennings had a political and professional reason to target Piker, since he was reported to be a candidate for White House press secretary. NBC quotes Piker's attorney Daniel Watkins calling what Jennings presented "a lie," reports that Jennings' post was still on X with 3 million views, and says the complaint states his lawyers gave no substantive reply to a retraction demand.

NBC also describes Piker as a controversial figure in the Democratic Party and notes that Jewish organizations have accused him of promoting antisemitic tropes. The Guardian's headline uses the phrase "violent racist." Both say Jennings had not yet commented.

Center4 outlets

Newsweek reports that Piker challenged Sen. Ted Cruz, a Republican, on X after Cruz shared similar allegations. It recounts the recent feud between the two, including Cruz's remarks about Piker and Piker's 2019 comment about 9/11. It also places the case in a wider pattern of public figures suing over reputation, citing Trump's suits against media outlets and Gov. Gavin Newsom's suit against Fox News.

Newsweek says it contacted Jennings, Cruz and Piker for comment. It quotes Piker saying the case is "about truth in the media." The Hill reports the basics of the filing: a 38-page complaint in federal court in Washington, the Aug. 11 episode at its center, and Piker's claim that an edited video was used to accuse him of backing lynching.

Forbes reports the $72.5 million demand and calls Piker a left-wing Twitch streamer. Its headline puts "Manipulated" in quotation marks.

Conservative3 outlets

The New York Post's headline calls Piker "far-left" and reports that the complaint accuses Jennings of airing allegedly manipulated video. It quotes Piker's lawyer Daniel Watkins calling the accusation "extraordinary" and saying it "was a lie," and notes that Jennings declined to comment to the paper. The Post adds that the commentator Piker was mocking was conservative activist Xavier Durousseau, whose X bio lists him on the 's Youth Council, and that Piker had earlier called him a "grifter" on the same stream.

Reason reprints a long section of the complaint, notes it is only Piker's side, and expects Jennings to answer in a motion to dismiss. The Daily Wire headlines its story with "Lawfare" and reports that the 42-second video was first posted by the National Republican Senatorial Committee. It also reports Piker's past mockery of Black conservatives and use of the N-word on "The Young Turks," citing the Washington Free Beacon, and notes that as a public figure he must prove "actual malice."

The Washington Times' headline describes the suit as being over Jennings misconstruing Piker's lynching comments.

All sources: 9 articles from 9 outlets

Liberal (2)

Center (4)

Conservative (3)

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