- Conservative TikTok influencer CJ Pearson is considering a libel lawsuit against New York Magazine over its coverage of his party before President Donald Trump’s inauguration. Pearson claims the magazine unfairly smeared him and other attendees as racist.
- Pearson argues that the magazine intentionally excluded Black partygoers from the cover photo and misrepresented the event’s attendees.
- The writer of the article, Brock Colyar, has his social media accounts set to private, while New York Magazine has yet to comment on the potential legal action.
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A conservative TikTok influencer is considering legal action against New York Magazine over a cover image and article that covered CJ Pearson’s party on the eve of President Donald Trump’s inauguration. Pearson says the magazine unfairly slandered him and other attendees, accusing them of racism.
Accusations of racial bias in magazine cover
Some conservative activists on X accused the magazine of intentionally cropping out Black partygoers from the cover photo. The image was part of an issue titled “The Cruel Kids’ Table,” which Pearson and others claim misrepresented the event.
New York Magazine literally cropped all the black people out of this cover photo and then complained that “the entire room is white” https://t.co/gCatY1lZzG pic.twitter.com/VhoaiJhqg1
— Christopher Barnard (@ChrisBarnardDL) January 27, 2025
Pearson issues formal legal notice
The 21-year-old Pearson has issued a formal notice to New York Magazine, warning the outlet of his intention to sue for libel. He points to specific excerpts in the article, written by Brock Colyar, that he said are false.
Controversial article excerpts mentioning race
In the article, Colyar described the party.
“Almost everyone is white,” Colyar wrote. “The men look like Pete Hegseth, in bow ties and black suits, with clean-shaven faces. The women are almost all out of their league.”
Colyar later quoted an anonymous attendee who said, “Have you noticed the entire room is white?”
Pearson denies article claims
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Pearson rejected the claims made in the article.
“They wanted to make us look like KKK lite, and that’s why they excluded all the Black people from the photo,” Pearson said. “It’s why they excluded all the Black people from the piece as a whole. It’s why they excluded me from the story and didn’t do the basic journalistic duty of reaching out to me for comment because they already had their narrative before they entered the door.”
New York Magazine remains silent over controversy
As of Thursday, Feb. 6, New York Magazine has not commented on the potential litigation. The controversial issue is pinned to the top of the magazine’s X account, while the writer’s social media accounts are set to private.