CNN found itself on the receiving end of an internet prank Wednesday after airing a satirical X post from a fictional Republican congressman as though it were a legitimate statement about hospitalized Sen. Mitch McConnell.
The embarrassing mistake unfolded during “CNN This Morning,” when anchor Audie Cornish highlighted a string of comments from Republicans who said they had recently spoken with the 84-year-old Kentucky senator, who has remained hospitalized since mid-June and has not appeared publicly.
“We’re going to just show some on screen,” Cornish told viewers.
“All saying, I talked to him, I talked to him, I talked to him for 20 minutes, I talked to him for 45 minutes.”
As producers flashed comments from CNN contributor Scott Jennings alongside statements attributed to Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, another post slipped into the mix—one supposedly written by “Rep. Jack Kimble.”
Except there is no Rep. Jack Kimble.
The X account, @RepJackKimble, is a well-known political parody that has spent years baiting journalists and social media users. The fictional lawmaker supposedly represents California’s nonexistent 54th Congressional District—even though the state currently has just 52 House seats.
The joke began subtly enough.
“I spoke to my old friend Mitch McConnell this morning, the senior Senator from Kentucky,” the fake congressman wrote.
“He’s so sharp. Just like always he let me do all of the talking.”
Then the satire became increasingly obvious.
“After that we prayed silently for awhile and had a staring contest. Just like always, he beat me.”
Despite the increasingly absurd punchlines, the post still made it onto CNN’s graphic alongside authentic comments from Republican officials.
The parody account doesn’t exactly hide what it is, either.
Its profile identifies the fictional congressman as the “co-sponsor of Poe’s Law,” referencing the internet principle that extreme satire is often mistaken for sincere commentary if it isn’t clearly labeled.
According to the character’s Amazon biography, Jack Kimble is the creation of a Chicago schoolteacher who launched the parody in 2009. The account has previously fooled major media organizations, including The Huffington Post and The Washington Post, before adding CNN to its growing highlight reel.
Watch the clip below:
OOPS: CNN This Morning cites parody account of fake congressman @RepJackKimble on list of quotes about Sen. Mitch McConnell's health. pic.twitter.com/GBXJ37bkoe
— Nick (@nspin310) July 8, 2026
More over at The New York Post:
CNN falls for fake GOP lawmaker who claimed Mitch McConnell won 'staring contest' from hospital https://t.co/Is8jRlf7eY pic.twitter.com/gcx5ICDmRs
— New York Post (@nypost) July 9, 2026
