Fox News contributor Joe Concha faced online criticism this week after suggesting that interviews conducted by TMZ with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) are staged.
Concha's comments followed a widely shared video clip of Ocasio-Cortez responding to a TMZ reporter outside the U.S. Capitol about the controversy surrounding Macklemore being dropped as an opener on Ed Sheeran's tour. Ocasio-Cortez stated she would boycott Sheeran's music due to the decision, which came after Macklemore's pro-Palestinian comments.
The clip gained significant traction on the social platform X, accumulating millions of views. Concha shared the clip on X, writing, "Amazing how TMZ always knows exactly when and where AOC will be when she leaves work. It’s almost as if these ‘interviews’ are staged beforehand."
However, social media users and the TMZ reporter in question pointed out that it is common for members of Congress to be interviewed by media outlets as they exit the Capitol building after votes. The TMZ bureau in Washington D.C. has been active since earlier in the year, with reporter Charlie Cotton frequently engaging with lawmakers.
Cotton himself responded to Concha's claim, stating on X, "FYI Joe: all house members walk down the Capitol steps after votes to do media!" Multiple users also shared screenshots and pointed out that Fox News itself had aired a clip of the exchange on its program "The Five."
Critics suggested that Concha's assertion was unfounded, with one user sarcastically providing a mock news script: "They found a Congresswoman down at the steps of her workplace, more news at 11."