Overview

• Posting on X overnight into Sunday, the CNN analyst wrote "Yeah, I messed up" and called his phrasing "flat-out insensitive," adding that no one should make light of children dying in Gaza.
• He made the comment Friday on HBO’s Real Time, alleging Iran and Qatar run a large disinformation effort on TikTok and Instagram and riffing, "dead Gaza baby… Diddy… dead Gaza baby."
• NBC News correspondent Hala Gorani and other journalists argued the images of dead children from Gaza are real and not a disinformation construct, calling the quip offensive.
• Public figures including John Cusack, Niall Stanage, Barry Malone and Mehdi Hasan condemned the segment, highlighting concerns about dehumanization of Palestinians.
• Some conservative commentary faulted his apology for not mentioning Israeli victims or Hamas atrocities, and a separate viral post claimed he follows a "Hot IDF Army Girls" Instagram account, a claim that drew fresh criticism but was not independently verified.