--- description: Senator Ted Cruz's official Tweet account appeared to "like" an explicit tweet on Monday night — and social media users were stunned title: Ted Cruz’s Twitter Account ‘Liked’ a Porn Tweet and the Internet Had Plenty to Say image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4b4737c7b99fe00b/6988d2700a4a22b5b49ceb21/170620-senators-health-care-cruz.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Business](/section/business/) ## Business Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Tech](/tag/time-section-tech/) ## Tech Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Ted Cruz’s Twitter Account ‘Liked’ a Porn Tweet and the Internet Had Plenty to Say ## Video: Watch Delegates Boo Ted Cruz From the Floor [Watch (HLS stream): Watch Delegates Boo Ted Cruz From the Floor](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/ruZTazpM.m3u8) (1:03)  _Published 2016-07-21. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz made a big gamble on 2020 with his speech at the Republican national convention Wednesday, snubbing nominee Donald Trump with a non-endorsement._ by [Jennifer Calfas](/author/jennifer-calfas/) ## Jennifer Calfas Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Dec 13, 2023 3:49 AM CUTPublished: Sep 12, 2017 12:33 PM CUT  Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) speaks to reporters at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., May 10, 2017. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) speaks to reporters at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., May 10, 2017.Joshua Roberts—Reuters by [Jennifer Calfas](/author/jennifer-calfas/) ## Jennifer Calfas Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Dec 13, 2023 3:49 AM CUTPublished: Sep 12, 2017 12:33 PM CUT Sen. [Ted Cruz](http://time.com/4919599/ted-cruz-superstorm-sandy-hurricane-harvey-spending/ "undefined")‘s official Twitter account appeared to “like” an explicit tweet Monday night, causing a stir on social media. The Texas senator’s account, which has more than 3 million followers, liked a tweet from the account @SexuallPosts, which posts explicit content and porn. The “like” was later removed from the senator’s account, Cruz’s senior communications adviser Catherine Frazier said. > [](https://twitter.com/catblackfrazier/status/907488125445963779) The incident, however, drew a host of commentary on Twitter, where some users expressed their disbelief. > [](https://twitter.com/rossluippold/status/907471791760781313) > [](https://twitter.com/MagnoliaLove/status/907466495524925440) > [](https://twitter.com/Mr%5FLukeBenson/status/907474772782698496) Comedian and late-night host [Jimmy Kimmel](http://time.com/4931353/jimmy-kimmel-asked-people-to-name-a-member-of-congress/ "undefined") also joined the conversation, appearing to poke fun at the senator’s record of upholding his religious values. “Well done [@TedCruz](https://twitter.com/tedcruz "undefined") using the power of ‘like’ to illustrate the evils of porn,” Kimmel [tweeted](https://twitter.com/jimmykimmel/status/907468366503280640?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref%5Furl=http%3A%2F%2Ftime.com%2F%3Fp%3D4937060 "undefined"). Last year, Cruz defended a ban on the use of sex toys in Texas, according to the [Associated Press](https://apnews.com/28d236513f534d5385a3d51360e5cbf5 "undefined"). Cruz later said that “a number of people” on his team have access to his official Twitter account, and that “it appears that someone inadvertently hit the ‘Like’ button,” [according](https://twitter.com/@frankthorp "undefined") to NBC News reporter Frank Thorp. Cruz did not directly answer when asked if the person responsible would be fired over the incident. > [](https://twitter.com/frankthorp/status/907617464720257024) > [](https://twitter.com/frankthorp/status/907618597178101760) Cruz is not the first politician to come under fire for the actions made on their official Twitter account. Last month, [President Donald Trump](http://time.com/4901131/donald-trump-retweet-fascist/ "undefined") retweeted one of his critics who called him a “fascist.” He deleted that retweet after five minutes. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4937060/ted-cruz-twitter-like-porn-reactions/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4937060/ted-cruz-twitter-like-porn-reactions/"},"headline":"Ted Cruz’s Twitter Account ‘Liked’ a Porn Tweet and the Internet Had Plenty to Say","datePublished":"2017-09-12T12:33:36.000Z","dateModified":"2023-12-13T03:49:11.000Z","description":"The tweet was later \"un-liked\"","url":"https://time.com/4937060/ted-cruz-twitter-like-porn-reactions/","keywords":["Tech","Social Media","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4b4737c7b99fe00b/6988d2700a4a22b5b49ceb21/170620-senators-health-care-cruz.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jennifer Calfas","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/jennifer-calfas/"}],"articleSection":"Business","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4b4737c7b99fe00b/6988d2700a4a22b5b49ceb21/170620-senators-health-care-cruz.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"170620-senators-health-care-cruz","caption":"170620-senators-health-care-cruz","creditText":"Joshua Roberts—Reuters","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/business/","name":"Business"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-tech/","name":"Tech"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4937060/ted-cruz-twitter-like-porn-reactions/","name":"Ted Cruz’s Twitter Account ‘Liked’ a Porn Tweet and the Internet Had Plenty to Say"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Watch Delegates Boo Ted Cruz From the Floor","description":"Texas Sen. 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