Piker sues Jennings for $72.5M over ‘lynching’

Antisemitic streamer Hasan Piker has filed a $72.5 million defamation suit against CNN contributor Scott Jennings, a vocal supporter of the Jewish state, in US District Court for the District of Columbia. The complaint was filed Oct. 27.

Piker says Jennings falsely accused him of advocating the lynching of Black people, causing him “public embarrassment, ridicule, emotional distress and mental anguish.” He is seeking $27.5 million in compensatory damages and $45 million in punitive damages.

According to the complaint, Jennings told listeners on the Aug. 11 episode of The Scott Jennings Show that Piker was “calling for Black voters to be lynched.”

Piker alleges that Jennings aired a clip stripped of context from an Oct. 29, 2024, stream in which Piker asked, “Can we go back to a better time when lynchings were happening?” Piker says he was mocking Black conservative commentator Xaviaer DuRousseau, to whom he was ascribing the remark. Another line in the clip, “I wanna go back to lynching,” came from a viewer’s chat comment that Piker read aloud, according to the complaint, which also accuses Jennings of adding an on-screen caption with words Piker never spoke.

DuRousseau, who did not make the remarks Piker attributed to him, has not sued Piker for defamation. (JNS sought comment from DuRousseau and from Piker’s attorneys.)

In the 38-page complaint, Piker describes Jennings as a “Republican political operative” who was rumored to be in line to become White House press secretary in the Trump administration.

He suggests that Jennings attacked him to secure the post and “enhance his standing among the president’s supporters and other influential Republican figures, particularly during a midterm election campaign.”

Jennings’ episode aired Aug. 11, and the announcement that Karoline Leavitt would leave the press secretary post came Aug. 12. Piker claims in the complaint that Jennings was being “publicly discussed” for the role around the time of the broadcast. JNS could not find any public discussion before Aug. 12.

“Mr. Jennings had reasons to make that accusation notwithstanding its falsity. His radio program and podcast trade in political controversy,” Piker alleges. “The more provocative his commentary, the greater the opportunity to attract and gain listeners, social media engagement, advertising revenue and professional attention.”

The complaint states that Jennings “continues to falsely portray Mr. Piker as a violent racist,” adding, “Few accusations are more serious than falsely portraying someone as an advocate of racially motivated murder.”

The ADL, which maintains a profile on Piker, states that he supports terror and violence, has said he would “vote for Hamas over Israel,” has called Orthodox Jews “inbred” and has denied that there were sexual assaults on Oct. 7, 2023.

The complaint says Piker has 8.9 million followers and subscribers across several social media platforms and cites his “industry recognition,” including a Streamy Award.

According to the complaint, Jennings did not retract the accusations after receiving a demand from Piker’s attorneys on Aug. 31. Piker is seeking a jury trial. —JNS