Jeff Jackson apologizes after TikTok backlash; 'completely roasted'
TikTok users slam Charlotte congressman after he votes for ban or sale of popular app
The following article appeared in the March 18, 2024, edition of The Charlotte Ledger, an e-newsletter with smart and original local news for Charlotte. We offer free and paid subscription plans. More info here.
Charlotte congressman, known for his social media savvy, loses 200K TikTok followers after vote; ‘I did not handle this situation well’
U.S. Rep. Jeff Jackson of Charlotte apologized on social media on Saturday for his explanation of his vote supporting the ban or sale of TikTok, following two days of being “roasted” by TikTok users who called him a hypocrite.
Jackson — known nationally for his social media posts, which helped land him a recent appearance on “The Daily Show” — has lost about 200,000 of his 2.5 million TikTok followers since the middle of last week, when he voted along with a bipartisan House majority to force a sale or shut down the Chinese-owned social media app.
TikTok users created videos mocking him and his vote and his initial explanation, which Jackson posted to TikTok and later deleted as the criticisms rained down. One TikTok personality with nearly 9 million followers accused Jackson of “using TikTok to get a vote and turning his back on TikTok creators the first second he got a chance to.”
In a new, two-minute TikTok video posted Saturday, Jackson said: “I apologize. I did not handle this situation well from top to bottom, and that is why I have been completely roasted on this app over the last 48 hours.”
He said he understood the frustration of TikTok users: “If I were in your shoes, I would probably feel the same way. I would see someone who used this app to build a following and then appears to have voted against it.” He said he likes using TikTok and hopes it is sold and not shut down, and that he had received private briefings about the app that are “genuinely alarming.”
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Jackson, a Democrat, is running for N.C. attorney general this year against Republican U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop. Bishop voted against TikTok’s ban or sale. —Tony Mecia
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Executive editor: Tony Mecia; Managing editor: Cristina Bolling; Staff writer: Lindsey Banks; Business manager: Brie Chrisman