Rep. Andy Ogles says a “stupid, hurtful” anti-gay message was posted by a member of his communications team while he was working on his farm, and he says the employee was reprimanded. The tweet—wishing followers a “Happy Nuclear Family Month” and declaring “ho
Rep. Andy Ogles spent Tuesday focused on his farm—until his phone “began going crazy” from a post he says a member of his communications team put out without him.
In a message posted June 3, 2026, 4:09 AM PDT, Ogles walked back the anti-gay tweet that had already stirred backlash online. He called the message “stupid, hurtful” and “a complete distraction” from his “America First focus,” saying the employee responsible has been reprimanded.
“The behavior of consenting adults is their business,” Sen. Ted Cruz later said when asked about Ogles’ remarks.
Ogles did not say what the communications staffer’s role was beyond describing the post as coming from “my comms team” while he was working on his farm. He offered no further details about who the employee is. “No word on the employee behind the tweet,” is all that’s been reported so far.
The original post. made by Ogles on social media Tuesday. told followers: “homosexuality has no place in America” and wished them a “Happy Nuclear Family Month.” The line was widely seen as a jab at Pride Month. which began Monday. That tweet was eventually deleted, but not before it made rounds online.
As the controversy gained momentum in Washington, DC, Ogles’ fellow Republican congressman Rep. Mike Lawler weighed in, condemning the message and the way it landed. Lawler described Ogles as a “f***ing idiot” for isolating some of his fellow Americans.
The timeline matters here: Ogles says he didn’t post the message that triggered the uproar, yet the tweet with the anti-gay wording and the Pride Month dig spread widely after it appeared under his name and was deleted only after it had already circulated.
Andy Ogles anti-gay tweet Tennessee GOP America First Pride Month Nuclear Family Month Ted Cruz Mike Lawler