Jim Acosta Slammed For Bizarre Gun Control Inverview With AI Replica Of Parkland Victim
Jim Acosta, the former CNN anchor turned independent media figure, sparked widespread backlash this week after he conducted an interview with an artificial intelligence-generated version of a teenage boy killed in the 2018 Parkland school shooting — a move many critics have slammed as grotesque political theater.
The segment, aired and promoted by Acosta on social media, featured a conversation with an AI recreation of Joaquin Oliver, one of the 17 victims murdered in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre. The AI likeness was created by the gun control advocacy group Change the Ref, founded by Oliver’s parents, who have become prominent activists in anti-gun circles.
In a promotional post on X, Acosta wrote, “I’ll be having a one of a kind interview with Joaquin Oliver. He died in the Parkland school shooting in 2018. But his parents have created an AI version of their son to deliver a powerful message on gun violence.”
Acosta then posed questions to the synthetic image of the dead teenager, including: “What’s your solution for gun violence?”
The AI-generated response: “I believe in a mix of stronger gun control laws, mental health support, and community engagement… It’s about building a culture of kindness and understanding.”
Acosta nodded along: “I think that’s a great idea, Joaquin.”
A show you don’t want to miss at 4p ET / 1p PT. I’ll be having a one of a kind interview with Joaquin Oliver. He died in the Parkland school shooting in 2018. But his parents have created an AI version of their son to deliver a powerful message on gun violence. Plus Texas State… pic.twitter.com/mbdM2WxwUR
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) August 4, 2025
The blowback was immediate and intense — not just from conservative circles, but from across the political spectrum. Critics accused Acosta of crossing a moral and ethical line by using the likeness of a dead teenager to push a gun control agenda, effectively animating grief for clicks and ideology.
“This is deranged & ghoulish,” wrote Just The News Chief Investigative Correspondent Jerry Dunleavy.
“This is the kind of journalism Jim Acosta is doing without the guardrails of CNN,” added Washington Free Beacon reporter Chuck Ross.
National Review’s Charles C.W. Cooke didn’t hold back, calling the interview “one of the most unhinged and grotesque things I’ve ever seen.”
Even some on the Left appeared disturbed. Jonah Goldberg, Editor-in-Chief of The Dispatch, simply called it “Profoundly gross.”
The controversy spilled over to BlueSky, the left-leaning social media alternative to X, where replies showed that even progressive users were deeply uncomfortable with Acosta’s approach. The use of AI to digitally resurrect a minor for political commentary, many argued, crosses into dystopian territory.
The organization Change the Ref has used AI versions of Joaquin Oliver in the past to advocate for gun control, but this marks the first time a journalist has staged a formal “interview” with the fabricated persona of a murder victim. While supporters of the group’s message may sympathize with the cause, the means have proven jarring — and, to many, unethical.
Acosta has not responded to the mounting criticism. But for a man long known for injecting personal politics into his reporting — particularly during the Trump administration — this latest stunt appears to have confirmed what many already suspected: that without the editorial constraints of corporate media, Acosta’s brand of “journalism” is veering into full-blown activist theater.
Whether his followers embrace the AI interview or recoil from it may determine how long Acosta’s post-CNN career lasts — and how far some in the media are willing to go in the age of synthetic emotion and digital ghosts.