Fox News Latest Headlines
Charles Barkley dunks all over pickleball: 'All these old people are killing themselves'
Former NBA legend Charles Barkley is certainly a very opinionated man, and when he has an opinion, he isn't afraid to let it fly.
The man who once famously said "I am not a role model" joined "The Kittle Cast" with NFL tight end George Kittle and his wife, Claire, and was giving out some rather sage advice about aging athletically.
For guys like Kittle and Barkley, going from the top of your game to retirement can be rough; it can feel like there's a hole in your life where your passion used to be.
That's why Sir Charles felt it paramount to impart his wisdom onto the younger Kittle now so he knows what to expect when he does decide to hang it up.
For Chuck, there is a list of dos and don'ts when it comes to staying in shape post-retirement, and while sharing this with the podcast power couple, he decided to take a shot at a very popular sport among retirees.
"There’s not a lot you can do when you get old," Barkley said. "You can’t go play basketball.
"And let me tell you something. They got this stupid thing going around called pickleball, which is the way old people out here are getting hurt all the time."
So, the Round Mound of Rebound is not a big pickleball fan? Got it.
But he continues.
"My doctor friends said pickleball is the gift that keeps giving," Barkley claims. "Because all these old people are killing themselves and hurt all the time. My doctor friends are in heaven right now."
Kittle chimes in and says he's heard similar things about America's fastest-growing sport among the 55-and-over community, citing torn ACLs and broken wrists galore.
"I am never stepping on that damn court," Kittle exclaimed.
I have to say, as someone who was conscripted into the pickleball cult back in 2023 and having "left the reservation," I couldn't agree more.
I was 30 years old thinking this was going to be some relaxing way to spend my weekends as a recently married guy trying to find a hobby, and I could not have been more wrong.
The word "cutthroat" is an understatement.
I was going up against guys (and girls) who were playing this sport as if it was the fifth set of the Australian Open Finals, and the funniest part of all of it was that most of these people were my age or slightly younger.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Where are all these senior citizens I hear about playing a relaxing round of pickleball?
Because all I got was a court full of former college athletes in their early 30s with $200 paddles and rocking headbands like they were Bjorn Borg.
If you're still in good enough shape to treat pickleball like an ATP tennis match, then just go play tennis.
SIGN UP TO GET THE LATEST SPORTS NEWS
Otherwise, you come off like a try-hard.
STAY "FEARLESS" ON THE GO! TAKE TOMI LAHREN WITH YOU. DOWNLOAD THE TLIF PODCAST NOW!
What's even crazier is the few retirement-aged players I ran into would kick my ass up and down the court, so maybe this is a sport that's tailor-made for older people.
I'm with Kittle, if you really want to do something active after you retire, just play golf like every other generation of old people has done since the sport was invented nearly 600 years ago.
Of course, there's a reason Chuck didn't suggest that as a post-retirement pastime, but I digress.
DAVID MARCUS: Mamdani's faux African accent as telling as it is bizarre
In a resurfaced 2016 interview, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks for the entire time in an African/South Asian accent that sounds like a mix between Trevor Noah and Apu from "The Simpsons." It is absolutely bizarre, but it is also telling.
At the time, he was promoting a Disney movie that he had worked on as a dance adviser, one of the few actual jobs hizzoner has ever held. His signature smile is on display, but when he opens his lips he sounds like someone we have never heard.
With his sing-songy affected voice he decries how in Africa everybody dances, but in New York the men "just grind," but don’t dance. It is a performance entirely in character, he even imitates some Bollywood-style dance moves.
FLASHBACK: MAMDANI'S HISTORY OF DODGING QUESTIONS ABOUT WHERE HE STANDS ON KEY ISSUES
This is not Hillary Clinton’s voice getting a bit twangly when she speaks in the South. This is a full-on acting job, and further proof that the theater kids have taken over the American Left.
There is nothing inherently wrong with theater kids. I myself plied the boards in New York for many years before my career in journalism. But I never did an entire interview with a fake accent as if it was how I actually spoke, and neither did anyone else I know.
Because that is simply downright bizarre behavior.
This is not the first time we have seen different versions of Mamdani that seem like entirely different people. We have also seen him furious and screaming while protesting against ICE in a way that is entirely antithetical to the calm, never flustered, smiley character he plays now, as mayor.
TOM HOMAN WARNS ICE SURGE COMING TO NEW YORK CITY AS MAMDANI BOASTS ABOUT SANCTUARY STATUS
Mamdani’s defenders say that he is merely "code-switching," and that so-called marginalized people will subconsciously speak one way with their own group and another way outside of it. Sorry, but this accent was so perfected and performative that there is zero chance he didn’t know he was doing it.
It does raise an interesting question though: Is the African accent how Zany Zohran really talks, behind closed doors? Could it be his American accent that is the performance? We can’t really know.
In a way, this goofy accent incident is a good metaphor for Democratic Socialism writ large. For outside audiences, they speak in Americanized, vague terms about helping the working class, but you get these same people on a private Zoom call and it's blood and guts communism all the way down.
How many times have we heard "Oh, they aren’t really socialists, they are Democratic Socialists," as if there is one scintilla of difference once they start talking about abolishing the Senate, controlling the housing market and seizing the means of production?
BERNIE SANDERS, DSA REVEAL DEMANDS FOR DEM PARTY AFTER SOCIALISTS SWEEP NEW YORK ELECTIONS
One does have to admit, though, that the casting directors at the DSA hit the ball out of the park with Zohran. His fake plastic smile is the pitch-perfect mask for his Marxism. But who really lies underneath? The African choreographer? The furious protester? All of them?
The overwhelming sense one gets with these DSA candidates, like Mamdani, and Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and even Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, is that they are carefully curating just how radical they can appear to be to normal, everyday Americans, while their diehard supporters are in on the joke.
This was on display at El-Sayed’s victory party, last week, when he and podcasting antisemite Hasan Piker were talking to a supporter who told them, "People are stupid. This politics of no translation is going to be the way forward, money out of politics, money in your pocket, Medicare for all. No one has to decipher what that means." Piker and El-Sayed both appeared in agreement.
Mamdani and the DSA have proven that they will adopt any accent, don any garb, and utter any platitude to get the only thing that they really want, which is power over our lives.
The problem for New Yorkers and Americans is that we can have no idea what really lies beneath the many masks of Mamdani, whether he is the calm smiley American guy, the frothing lunatic protester, or the goofy African choreographer.
In fact, it seems like Mamdani is simply whoever he thinks you want him to be at any given moment. But it's getting old. As his budget numbers fail to line up and rents keep soaring, Gotham needs a leader, not a character actor.
Please, Mr. Mayor, we are all asking you, will the real Mamdani please stand up?
Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins, Maxx Crosby get into scuffle in tense training camp moment
It doesn’t matter the time of year or the opponent; Las Vegas Raiders star pass rusher Maxx Crosby knows how to get under people’s skin.
During the Raiders’ practice on Friday in Henderson, Nevada, Crosby drew the ire of Kirk Cousins.
Crosby hit Cousins’ arm twice during a team period, and after the second time, the usually mild-mannered quarterback was fed up. He charged after the star defender, grabbing his jersey and exchanging words. The two were quickly separated after teammates jumped in.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Cousins remained on the field to finish the drive with the first-team offense while Crosby was sent to the sideline.
Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak said scuffles like that are part of training camp.
"Those are two leaders of our team going at it, so that is part of camp," Kubiak said. "Obviously, if you fight in a game and throw a punch in game, then you're out of the game. So we've got to be smart and treat it like a game."
ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON'T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!
Raiders tight end Michael Mayer praised Cousins for having an edge, but doesn’t want his starting quarterback throwing punches either.
SIGN UP TO GET THE LATEST SPORTS NEWS
"We don't want to be throwing punches, but I think on any padded day of camp, there's going to be some tussles," tight end Michael Mayer said. "That's our starting quarterback right now, and you want him to defend your team and you want him to have some edge to him, which he does. He's always had since the first day I met him when he came in here.
"I don't want him getting thrown out. I don't want him getting a flag. Nothing like that, but you've got to be able to defend yourself."
Despite drafting Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick, the Raiders named Cousins to open camp, and he has taken the vast majority of the first-team reps in practice. He will likely be the Raiders' starting quarterback when they open their season against the Miami Dolphins in Week 1.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Test your pop culture: From Hollywood to the Heartland
The Pop Culture Quiz is your weekly test of what’s making headlines and breaking the Internet, from the Heartland to Hollywood.
This week's quiz spotlights bikini getaways and country music confessions.
Can you get all 5 questions right?
For more Entertainment articles, visit www.foxnews.com/entertainment
To try your hand at more quizzes from Fox News Digital, click here.
Hillary Clinton calls out far-left reluctance to support her, warns GOP 'communist' attacks will be effective
The tensions between the far-left and more establishment wings of the Democratic Party are not going away, as evidenced by some sharp comments from former presidential nominee Hillary Clinton this week.
Clinton lamented during a Friday interview that the far-left doesn’t fall in line and support establishment Democrats as figures like Hasan Piker are demanding fealty, while also warning Republican attacks on hard-left socialists could be "very effective."
"Pivot" podcast host Kara Swisher noted to Clinton that the Democratic Party is having a tense internal struggle between its more establishment and progressive wings to the point that Republican opposition has learned to capitalize on it.
"I think there's no doubt that, you know, the Republican Party is the Trump cult and the Democratic Party is a bigger tent. You know, we do have a broad cross-section of people, what they believe, what their experiences are. I think that's an advantage," Clinton said. "But we also have to win general elections."
Clinton noted that many Democrats now will have to learn to pivot and support the progressive Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed’s campaign to defeat Republican Mike Rogers, while El-Sayed’s supporters will have to learn how to re-integrate defeated Haley Stevens and her supporters who they were "vilifying" online and in person.
2026 MIDTERMS STATE OF PLAY: KEY RACES UNFOLD AS STEVENS, EL-SAYED BATTLE IN MICHIGAN
Clinton warned that the Democratic Party’s coalition cannot afford to keep being a one-way street in terms of supporting candidates.
"One thing that we haven't yet seen enough of is that when the progressives, the left — whatever we want to call, you know, candidates on that side of the Democratic Party — when they lose, they often don't support the candidate that has been nominated," she said. "You know, there was a lot of reluctance to support Kamala Harris. There was a lot of reluctance to support me when I got the nomination. So, it can't be a one-way street."
"If we're going to have a fair election, as there was in Michigan, and somebody comes out ahead, a little bit ahead, but needs to get a huge percentage of the voters that voted for Haley, they're going to have to be willing to, you know, get in — get into a conversation that brings those people over," she added, noting that the real struggle will be persuading independents and Stevens supporters.
ROGERS OPENS DOOR TO DEMOCRATIC VOTERS AFTER EL-SAYED’S PRIMARY VICTORY: ‘THERE IS STILL HOPE’
Clinton went on to remark on the Republican messaging of accusing people of being a "communist" or "socialist," adding, "I assume that they have reason to believe that it's effective, or they wouldn't be beating the drum on it."
"And you can see that it’s not just about Michigan, but the Republican messaging is communist, socialist. It’s going to be a very effective attack," she said.
Even so, she said, such "scare tactics" did not stop the rise of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Clinton warned again that when moderates pivot to support progressive nominees, the progressive nominee needs to make sure that those moderates feel welcomed, adding, "Look, we’ve got to work together. We're not going to beat Republicans by being divided."
CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE
James Carville, who helped mastermind Bill Clinton's 1992 election victory, told Fox News Digital this week that the 2028 primary would be a true test of the strength of the far-left in the party. Carville has warned that he could leave the party if it makes room for extreme figures like Piker, who campaigned with El-Sayed.
Controversial streamer Hasan Piker's lecture axed by University of Washington amid free-speech questions
A University of Washington lecture featuring progressive Twitch commentator Hasan Piker is off, with school officials citing a flawed planning process as the reason for the cancellation.
Piker, a far-left streamer and YouTube personality, was set to appear in January as part of the school’s 2026-27 Speaker Series, the university said in a statement.
However, following "a review of the process by which the event was planned," the university canceled the event.
"It was determined that the process for organizing this event did not meet the necessary level of rigor for University-hosted events in the Speaker Series," the statement said.
"Going forward, procedures will be updated to ensure the standards we have for University-hosted events like the Speaker Series are met, particularly so that we can help elevate the level of dialogue on divisive topics during a polarized time in our country," it added.
The university’s cancellation of Piker, who previously said America "deserved 9/11" before later calling the remark "inappropriate," has prompted criticism from First Amendment advocates, with the nonprofit civil liberties group Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) condemning the move.
"If the decision was based on process — and not public backlash or criticism — @UW should be transparent about what standards were not met and how they were applied," the organization said in an X post.
FOX NEWS POLL: FAITH IN HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE US IS COLLAPSING
"Public universities can set standards for events. But they can’t use those standards as cover for canceling a speaker because of their views," it added.
Andrew Kolvet, the executive producer of the Charlie Kirk Show and a Turning Point USA spokesperson, said on X: "Let the radical Mao loving communist Hasan Piker speak, so long as he can resist the urge to call for the death of his political opponents. Universities do this to TPUSA often and blame some admin error etc. It’s wrong."
Piker, a socialist, rose to fame following a series of controversial comments, and most recently faced backlash after he called for Democrats who are unsupportive of Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed to face consequences for not holding the party line.
The popular streamer added that the party should use "Marxist-Leninist" punishment against anyone who fails to "follow the party line," but acknowledged that debate among the Democrats is expected in order to reach a decision.
HASAN PIKER CALLS FOR DEMOCRATS WHO OPPOSE ABDUL EL-SAYED TO BE 'PUNISHED'
His comments came just two days after El-Sayed secured the Democratic nomination, narrowly defeating Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., in the primary. Piker had previously appeared alongside El-Sayed on the campaign trail, who is set to face off against Republican nominee Mike Rogers in November.
Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville, who has previously spoken out against Piker’s rhetoric, recently doubled down on his criticism of the podcaster.
"I am not going to be in the same party with Hasan Piker," Carville said on "The Sunday Briefing" earlier this month. "If he becomes a force in a Democratic Party, I'm out of here. I have no intention of ever being in the same political party with that guy."
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Carville said that the Democrats will have to decide in the 2028 primary which direction it is headed in, as Piker’s viewpoints become more prevalent within the party.
FORMER DNC VICE CHAIR DAVID HOGG CLAIMS DEMOCRATIC MODERATES 'DON'T HAVE THE RIGHT VALUES'
"Everyone claims they're the ascendant ring, alright, on the 2028 presidential election, and this can only be resolved at the presidential level. It cannot be resolved at the state level," Carville told Fox News Digital. "And I am sure that there will be robust representation from the DSA ring of the party, whatever you want to call it. I'm sure there'll be a robust number of candidates from what I would call the governing wing of the Democratic Party, but you call it what you want."
CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE
Fox News Digital reached out to the University of Washington and Piker for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Alexander Hall and Rachel Wolf contributed to this report.
Nigeria's largest rescue operation frees 308 hostages held by militants in Kwara State
Victims held for six months in captivity at the hands of jihadi kidnappers in Nigeria detailed on Friday the harrowing conditions they were kept in after being liberated in what Nigerian officials are calling the largest rescue operation in the country's history.
Nigerian forces rescued at least 308 victims from captivity in the past week, with the bulk of the victims coming from two distinct groups. 163 of the victims were taken from the Woro community in Nigeria's Kwara State in a Feb. 3 raid that saw their jihadi kidnappers kill an additional 160 people in the Woro village.
The victims told the Associated Press that they believed they had been taken as punishment for refusing to accept and acquiesce to the religious preachings of the jihadis.
One woman, Hauwa Saliu, told the outlet that her captors constantly asked the victims if they had accepted jihad yet.
NIGERIAN PASTOR HIGHLIGHTED BY TRUMP SAYS HE’S NEXT AFTER MILITIA KILLS HIS RELATIVES
"We prayed to God to help us go back home, but it never really crossed our minds that we were going to go back home," she told the outlet.
Another victim, Amira Saliu, described the conditions in which the women and children were being kept, explaining that they were held in a forest near a river, and forced to put out fires and hide when they heard helicopters nearby.
FREED HOSTAGE ROM BRASLAVSKI DETAILS ABUSE, STARVATION DURING 738 DAYS IN GAZA CAPTIVITY
Saliu, a nurse, also explained how she had to help 10 women give birth with no medical equipment or sanitary gloves.
"I had no choice but to use my bare hands," she told the outlet.
Mary Ishaya, 44, told the outlet that the captives often went days without food and had to bury other captives who had died.
"I still cannot find the right words to describe what has happened to us. We saw death and suffering," she said.
The governor of Kwara State, AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq, told reporters during a news conference that 46 victims were being treated at a hospital.
"This is indeed, indeed a very sad situation. We've not yet come to terms with it. We're still assessing the situation. As you can see, it's just kids ... children and women that are here today," he said. "It's truly a shame that this has happened."
COULD THIS AFRICAN NATION BECOME TRUMP'S NEXT TERROR TARGET AS JIHADISTS CLOSE IN ON POWER?
The incident highlights the ongoing tensions between Nigeria's militant Islamic insurgency in the north and the country's large Christian population, who make up roughly 45% of Nigeria's citizens.
On Christmas Day, President Donald Trump, in coordination with Nigeria's government, authorized precision missile strikes on Islamic State-affiliated groups in northern Nigeria, citing the need to protect the country's Christians.
The U.S. followed up in May, launching coordinated joint military action that reportedly resulted in the death of senior Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Mainuk.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Bill Maher calls out the lunacy over Sophie Cunningham's trans comments being twisted
Sophie Cunningham has found herself a surprising ally in talk show host Bill Maher. That's right. What a duo!
Bill Maher and Sophie Cunningham. Two peas in a pod. Beautiful.
Maher came out in support of Cunningham on his "Real Time with Bill Maher" HBO show Friday night, pointing out the absolute lunacy that has transpired since Cunningham dared to say girls deserve protection from biological men.
How dare she!
"She didn't say she hated trans," Maher said before reading Cunningham's exact quote. "She said, 'I am here to extend love, but I also think that love is truth and being honest. And I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn't have to go against biological men.'
"Again, this is where 80% of the country is."
I'd argue that about 90 percent of the country is actually on the right side of this issue, but I get Bill's point.
He's right, obviously. The narrative has, predictably, shifted in the weeks since Cunningham's comments to ESPN went viral. She never, ever said she didn't like trans people.
Quite the opposite, in fact!
All she said was that she wanted to protect girls in locker rooms and in sports from biological men. That's it! She literally said she wanted to protect little girls, and the left lost its mind.
Think about how crazy that sounds. Her words have been manipulated and twisted to fit a certain narrative, and it's disgusting. It's weak. It's, frankly, straight out of the left's playbook.
SIGN UP TO GET THE LATEST SPORTS NEWS
This is what they do. This is how they operate. Sophie Cunningham saying she wants to protect little girls in locker rooms all of a sudden turned into Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve wearing a "Trans Kids Belong" shirt on the bench last week.
STAY "FEARLESS" ON THE GO! TAKE TOMI LAHREN WITH YOU. DOWNLOAD THE TLIF PODCAST NOW!
What?! What does that even mean? When did Sophie Cunningham say trans kids didn't belong? Show me where she said that.
How did we get from Point A (Sophie) to Point B (Cheryl)? It's insane.
And Maher saw right through it.
'DEI queen': Virginia Dem's past embrace of far-left prosecutors unearthed
Shannon Taylor, now the Democratic nominee in the race for Virginia’s First Congressional district, once endorsed progressive prosecutorial blueprints, advocating for less incarceration and more diversity as a Henrico County commonwealth attorney — some of the same "Democratic values" that ended in tragedy in other parts of Virginia.
Shortly after coming into the role in 2012, Taylor fired seven prosecutors under her.
"I stated publicly that the office needs to have more diversity and I’m going to keep to that public statement," Taylor said in an interview ahead of the firings.
Her track record is sparking criticism that she used her role to prioritize ideological and political views at the expense of public safety. It’s also clashing with portrayals from her campaign, highlighting her work as a tough-on-crime figure as she looks to win over a Republican-leaning district.
FORMER PROSECUTOR WHO ACCUSED TRUMP OF WEAPONIZING DOJ WINS DEM PRIMARY
Taylor highlighted her work as she topped a crowded field of Democratic candidates vying to challenge Republican incumbent Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Va.
"As Henrico’s top prosecutor for the last 14 years, Shannon has tried thousands of cases and put violent criminals, drug traffickers and abusers behind bars," Taylor states on her campaign website. "She has a record of shutting down fraudsters trying to take advantage of working families and locking up violent criminals who threaten our safety."
But that hasn’t always been the appearance she’s given.
After her seven firings, Taylor faced blowback for trying to hire a woman named Misty Whitehead as a police oversight prosecutor. However, before the role could be made official, social media posts from Whitehead surfaced that seemingly showed a pattern of attacking police.
Taylor faced backlash from the town’s county manager over her selected candidate.
"A county manager can’t tell a commonwealth’s attorney who to hire, but he can recommend whether or not local funds are included to supplement that salary. And in this case, I absolutely will not do it under any circumstances," County Manager John Vithoulkas said at the time.
Whitehead had a history of voicing concerns about police behavior and social justice that raised concerns for at least one county official, according to local reports.
Taylor defended her pick, telling local outlets that she believed the posts were "thoughtful analysis of the current events we are all living through."
Taylor also has ties to similarly-minded prosecutors in other counties — some of which entered the public eye recently due to tragic circumstances.
In Fairfax County, Virginia, news broke that Abdul Jalloh, a 32-year-old illegal alien from Sierra Leone, stabbed a Virginia resident to death at a bus stop despite over 30 prior arrests and a known tendency for violent behavior.
Jalloh’s criminal record included charges of rape, malicious wounding, assault, drug possession, identity theft, trespassing, larceny and firing a weapon.
Even so, prosecutor Steve Descano had dropped many of them, prompting concern and outrage from lawmakers.
"You dismissed the case, and it’s shameful," Rep. Brad Knott, R-N.C. said at a hearing where Descano was summoned to Congress to explain a series of similar cases.
Knott had been highlighting one such instance involving a child predator.
"When you dismiss a case, what happens to that defendant? He walks free. A disgusting, perverted individual preying on children, that you dismissed," Knott said.
Long before Descano’s time in the spotlight, Taylor had endorsed Descano, supporting his bid to become county prosecutor in 2019, citing shared outlooks.
"I am excited to endorse Steve Descano for Fairfax County’s Commonwealth’s Attorney because I know he will prioritize the same Democratic values we all share, making Fairfax a safe and just place for everyone and I am looking forward to working with him," Taylor wrote.
Taylor and Descano would go on to champion their shared values in a 2021 letter to the Biden Administration.
In it, the two joined 100 other district and county attorneys in championing a set of "21 principles for the 21st-Century prosecutor." The authors claimed that "tough on crime policies" had been "anathema to justice," championed an end to mandatory minimums and three-strike laws, advocated for taking immigration status into consideration when negotiating sentences and plea deals, and opposed calling rapists "rapists," drug dealers "drug dealers," and convicted criminals "felons" or "inmates."
"A number of elected reform-minded prosecutors are boldly redefining what it means to be a prosecutor," the letter states.
At least one Republican onlooker blasted Taylor’s record.
"She spent her time reshaping the prosecutor's office around identity politics, pushing a far-left agenda that put woke activism ahead of public safety, and fighting to turn Virginia into a far-left hellscape," Emma Hall, a spokesperson for the Republican National Committee (RNC), said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
"Instead of prosecuting criminals and making Virginia safer, DEI queen Shannon Taylor chose to be a diversity, equity, and inclusion consultant."
Having secured the Democratic nomination, Taylor now heads to the general election on Nov. 3. Wittman, the district’s incumbent, last won re-election in 2024 in a 56.3% to 43.5% victory over Democratic challenger Leslie Mehta, an attorney.
Lawyer-turned-social media sensation is betting it all on God, love and grief
In a digital landscape often dominated by outrage, carefully curated perfection and fleeting trends, Davide De Pierro has built an audience by doing something refreshingly simple: telling honest stories about his experiences that make people feel seen. The New Jersey attorney-turned-digital creator joined Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview to discuss why authenticity — not algorithms — has become his greatest asset in a world where millions of people (six million who follow De Pierro, to be exact) are still searching for genuine human connection.
The 38-year-old was born in New Jersey and spent his early years in Italy before returning to Jersey City, where he still lives today. Though he continues to practice law at a family firm with his father and brother in Bloomfield, his career took a turn when he found success on TikTok and Instagram — pulling viewers in with his sometimes sarcastic, always profound reflections on work, life, love and faith.
"Being a person has been the same, always. What's changed is what you're wearing and what technology you're using," De Pierro said. "But really, I'm just talking about the human condition."
The self-described "half Italian/half Jersey boy" is now poised to re-release his self-published audiobook with HarperCollins in both a new audio edition and a hardcover version. The novel, "The Letters I Never Sent," will also heavily feature in his upcoming international tour, which will include stand-up comedy, live readings of excerpts from his book, a Q&A session and a meet-and-greet.
De Pierro is best known for his single-shot vlogs taken in his car, branded with captions like, "If I saw an alien I wouldn't even care honestly I got too much going on right now," "Started using my own money and realized my mom was right, we do have food at home," and "No matter what I have God."
On the heels of his life-changing success, De Pierro has remained humble — in fact, when asked what he believed made him so popular on social media, he found himself at a loss for words.
"I don't know why people are following me. I mean, I know what I do. I go on there and I talk about stuff. And maybe it's, in part, it could be the delivery. In part, it could be the actual language. In part, it could be the way my face looks in the car. I don't know. But I think it just happened."
"I'm happy that I won this little social media lottery, because otherwise I wouldn't be able to put my book out there and go on tour and meet people and have fun. And I'd be stuck in the law office all the time... Now I have to leave for other reasons, so my father permits me to go out and do a tour," he joked.
The creator described his success as "accidental" and said there was no "influencer strategy." Ironically, he used to consider himself "chronically offline."
"I was 37 years old. So, you know, I felt like that ship had sailed. I wasn't going to go dance on TikTok. Probably not for the best."
He credited an ex-girlfriend with the initial idea of posting his reflections on the internet.
"I thought that was a ridiculous idea. But I eventually took her advice, especially after the breakup — that's when men always take all the good advice from their exes. And it worked. And it kept working."
Millennials — the generation to which De Pierro proudly belongs — have been experiencing burnout for years, with research reported from Gallup to even the National Institutes of Health supporting the claim.
De Pierro told Fox News Digital he often posts about "workplace malaise," dating fatigue, and other kinds of exhaustion because he finds it's not just relatable, it's real.
"I think that you can't fake the authenticity of exhaustion. I think the relatability is that it's real. And so I am a person who has worked and who has gone through relationship problems. I'm not an inexperienced, younger man who's just kind of making things up that might be relatable. And I guess you just can't fabricate that kind of authenticity," said De Pierro, musing on how what some might call his late arrival to social media makes him stand out from other career influencers.
"The authenticity is not special, this isn't unique to me. I'm just describing what we all go through, but you have to go through it first. And so, certainly, there is an advantage to being a content creator in your late 30s if you're going to be talking about the struggles of being alive."
The TikToker pointed to the prolific nature and timelessness of William Shakespeare as an example of connection.
"What does he have in common with me, a 15th century English guy?" he posited in the wide-ranging interview. "In reality, he has everything in common with you, because he's a human being."
De Pierro's own audience is further evidence of this hypothesis, he said.
"My following is really a social experiment, if you look at it. I mean, there are people from all over the world and on all different spectrums. And I wonder if they know that they're following the same person, because I'm just talking about being a person. And everyone can relate to the experiences that we all go through every day, which are universal."
As a working attorney, De Pierro made it clear that his online ponderings should not be taken as legal advice.
"I would never call what I'm doing online advice. Especially being a lawyer, I'm so afraid of the word ‘advice.’ We never advise you unless you are our client."
"I don't want people to listen to it as advice. I'm not an expert on anything. I'm sharing observations, sharing experiences, sharing thoughts, but certainly not advice. No, don't do anything I say," he joked.
VIRAL BOY BAND INSISTS IT'S REAL AS IMMIGRATION FIGHT PUTS INTERNET FAME TO GOVERNMENT TEST
He attributed his contemplative style more to his Italian-American heritage than to his career in law, labeling Italians as "natural storytellers" and "expert complainers."
"I think it's part of the Italian identity to be a little bit playfully pessimistic. There might be even a superstition in that. You don't want to assume success."
"And so, I think that that plays into my character and my personality even in my videos. There's an exhaustion, there's a playful sense of pessimism there sometimes. A negativity almost. But it hides a more profound, I think, joy and optimism that Italians do have."
Despite referring to his portrayal in his social media videos as a "character," De Pierro told Fox News Digital that in the age-old Instagram vs. Reality — a concept that contrasts real-life with people's online personas — the lawyer-turned-comedian remains authentically himself.
"I mean, we all contain multitudes, right? So I think one of my personalities involves what I do in the car... All these little accents and modes of speaking are real to me. It depends on who I'm with. If I'm with my Jersey City friends, it's going to sound like "Goodfellas." But if I'm in a court of law, then I have to rein in it a little bit."
Add professional code-switcher to his growing list of accolades.
Despite often baring his soul online, De Pierro said sharing his thoughts for all the world to see hasn't affected his personal life much — yet.
"It is real, it is authentic, and so it doesn't affect my life because I'm already being myself on camera. So it's not like I'm suddenly unrecognizable to my friends and family, they know that guy intimately," De Pierro maintained.
"But on the other hand — I'm not dating much — but I suspect that it will affect my dating, because I think people are starting to get the impression that I'm this enlightened man, and maybe they're going to have expectations of me in dating that are unrealistic.
"I'm just as much of an idiot as the men that I talk about in my videos."
It is always easier to give advice than to take it, he added.
"I'm still a person. And also, by the way, that wisdom is for everyone else. I'm just good at giving other people advice as opposed to living it myself. I've always been that friend that's really good at telling you what's wrong with you. But if I have to apply it to my own life, I'm probably going to fail nine times out of ten."
For someone who speaks openly about relationships and the roller coaster of emotions they bring, the Heartbreak Heartthrob reveals relatively little about the concrete details of his private life.
That's intentional.
"What's funny about all this is that I'm incredibly public in the sense that I am constantly sharing my thoughts, but I'm almost never sharing my life. I'm just in the car. No one knows where I live. No one's ever seen my family. No one has ever seen the lower half of my body. So I'm extremely private while at the same time having a therapy session in my car," De Pierro told Fox News Digital.
De Pierro now speaks openly about many subjects with his growing following, but there is one he had to work his way up to: his faith.
He told Fox News Digital he is "100%" a Christian man, having gone to church every Sunday with his family all his life.
"My faith plays a huge role in my personal life. And so it was just a natural transition for me. As soon as I saw that I had this following and this kind of engagement, I thought, 'Wow, this is a perfect opportunity to speak about something that's really important to me.'"
De Pierro was inspired by the story of his grandfather, who died shortly after De Pierro was born.
"He was a preacher, and apparently — at least from the stories I've been told — a beloved man in the very small community that he lived and worked in. And a part of me thought, 'Here was this incredible man that I never met who only was able to speak to a few hundred people, maybe a thousand, over the course of his life.'"
"So I saw the opportunity that I had, and I thought to myself, 'Here I am, not even a tenth of the man that my grandfather was. And I have the opportunity to speak to millions of people at times. I have to use this opportunity, even if I could just plant a little seed of faith in these invisible people that are watching me from wherever they may be.'"
He has received no shortage of warm messages from viewers saying his posts have touched them and even helped them through hard times.
"And that's gratifying, too, of course, to feel like you're doing something more than just entertaining. Because it's great to get people to laugh and to get to feel seen and understood."
"But if you could also help people in a way that, again — it sounds crazy to me. I mean, I don't think that anything I'm doing is particularly helpful. But when I see those messages, I believe them. If they felt that way, then it's gratifying to know that I'm doing something, hopefully, useful."
HarperCollins imprint Hanover Square Press announced Monday it is set to publish De Pierro's debut novel, "The Letters I Never Sent," now on pre-sale and set for print and ebook publication on December 8, 2026. The audiobook version, De Pierro told FOX, will be available this October. Additionally, he will embark on his first-ever stand-up tour beginning late September.
The writer, performer, and viral content creator also shared his biggest icks and ticks, what he really thinks of modern dating, and the best advice he's ever received with Fox News Digital. But when asked if he had one final message he'd want to leave behind for his followers, it's a sentiment as refreshingly simple as he is: "God loves you."