In late July 2025, social media posts claimed Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters was caught watching adult content during a state Board of Education meeting. Snopes readers asked us to look into those claims.
Two members of the Oklahoma State Board of Education say they saw a video showing naked women on a television in State Superintendent Ryan Walters' office during an executive session of a meeting on July 24, 2025, according to a news report. Snopes could not independently confirm their reports. We reached out to both board members for comment and did not receive a response by the time of publication.
Walters addressed the allegations in a statement shared on X on July 27, 2025, saying, in part, that "there is absolutely no truth to any implication of wrongdoing."
The status of an investigation into the alleged incident was unclear at the time of publishing. On July 25, 2025, two state senators said the state Office of Management and Enterprise Services was leading an investigation inquiry. A spokesperson for the Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office told Snopes via phone that OMES asked the sheriff's office to look into the incident, but they could not confirm additional details.
In late July 2025, social media posts claimed that Ryan Walters, Oklahoma's top education official, was caught watching adult content during an Oklahoma State Board of Education meeting.
"Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters, the same guy banning books and pushing the Bible into classrooms, was reportedly caught watching explicit content during an executive meeting," the caption of one TikTok video (archived) read, in part. Another TikTok user (archived) claimed Walters was "under investigation after two board members say they saw a video of naked women playing on the TV in his office during an official meeting."
Similar claims (archived) about Walters being "caught" watching adult content during the meeting circulated (archived) on (archived) X (archived).
Scores of Snopes readers emailed us and searched our website to ask if the recent claims about Walters were legitimate. One reader wrote to us asking, "Did Ryan Walters have a video of naked women playing behind him during a meeting?"
Two members of the Oklahoma State Board of Education said they saw a video featuring naked women on a television in Walters' office during an executive session of a meeting on July 24, 2025, according to news reports (archived, archived). Snopes could not independently confirm their reports. We reached out to both board members for comment and did not receive a response by the time of publication.
Walters addressed the allegations in a statement shared on X (archived) on July 27, 2025, saying, in part, that "there is absolutely no truth to any implication of wrongdoing."
The status of an investigation into the alleged incident was unclear at the time of publishing. On July 25, 2025, two state senators said (archived) the state Office of Management and Enterprise Services was leading an investigation inquiry. A spokesperson for the Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office told Snopes via phone that OMES asked the sheriff's office to look into the incident, but they could not confirm additional details.
Walters has previously faced scrutiny over his policy decisions, including his push to incorporate the Bible into Oklahoma public schools' lessons.
Here's what we know about the alleged incident:
Board members' allegations
Ryan Deatherage and Becky Carson, two members of the Oklahoma State Board of Education, told the media outlet NonDoc and the newspaper The Oklahoman that they saw a video featuring "naked women" on a television screen in Walters' office during the executive session portion of a board meeting held on July 24. Both reportedly said they were the "only people seated in a position to see the screen."
Deatherage said he first noticed the video "while a parent was speaking about her appeal of a district transfer denial," according to NonDoc. As Deatherage considered how to bring the video to the room's attention, "Carson noticed the nudity," the outlet reported.
NonDoc quoted Carson as saying:
I was like, "What am I seeing?" I kind of was in shock, honestly. I started to question whether I was actually seeing what I was seeing. I was like, "Is that woman naked?" And then I was like, "No, she's got a body suit on." And it happened very quickly, I was like, "That is not a body suit." And I hate to even use these terms, but I said, "Those are her nipples." And then I was looking closer, and I got a full-body view, and I was like, "That is pubic hair." Even right now, I couldn't even tell you what I was watching.
Though the video featured nudity, it did not involve sexual intercourse, according to the board members' accounts. Deatherage said he recalled seeing "multiple n*de women on the screen and some sort of 'chiropractic table,'" NonDoc reported.
Carson recalled being disturbed by the video and confronting Walters about it during the meeting. In response, Walters initially appeared confused, but then acknowledged that he saw the video, according to Caron. Walters struggled to turn off the content and, after doing so, offered no apology or further comment, Carson told NonDoc.
Deatherage shared a similar account of Walters' response, saying, in part:
I don't know if he turned it off or switched the channel, I don't remember. I was surprised that when he came back to the table, he was not apologetic. I didn't ever hear an apology for that being on, and he didn't seem to be fazed that it was on.
Snopes could not independently confirm the board members' reports. We reached out to both of them for comment and did not receive a response by the time of publication.
We also contacted Chris Van Denhende, another Oklahoma State Department of Education board member who spoke to KFOR (archived), a local TV news station.
In an email to Snopes, Van Denhende said he "was not in a position to see what was on the TV" like Carson and Deatherage. He added: "Please notice Superintendent Walters did not deny what was on the TV and he did see it because he picked up the remote and either changed the channel or turned it off."
Van Denhende also said he has "complete confidence in the Oklahoma State Board of Education" and added that "the only motivation we have is to elevate the State of Oklahoma's Educational Outcomes from 50th in the nation."
Walters addresses allegations
On July 27, 2025, Walters addressed the allegations in a statement shared to his personal X account. He suggested they were "politically motivated" and denied that any of his devices were used to stream inappropriate content on the television.
Walters' full statement is as follows:
As I lead the charge for a bold overhaul of education in Oklahoma, putting parents back in control, rejecting radical agendas, and demanding excellence: it's no surprise to face politically motivated attacks.
Any suggestion that a device of mine was used to stream inappropriate content on the television set is categorically false. I have no knowledge of what was on the TV screen during the alleged incident, and there is absolutely no truth to any implication of wrongdoing.
These falsehoods are the desperate tactics of a broken establishment afraid of real change. They aren't just attacking me, they're attacking the values of the Oklahomans who elected me to challenge the status quo.
I will not be distracted. My focus remains on making Oklahoma the best state in the nation, in every category.
Probe in progress
On July 25, 2025, Oklahoma Senate President Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton and state Sen. Adam Pugh, both Republicans, released a joint statement (archived) about a potential investigation into the incident.
The senators said the state's Office of Management and Enterprise Services was leading an investigation inquiry. Another local news outlet reported (archived) on July 28, 2025, that OMES asked the Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office to review what happened inside Walters' office during the meeting.
A spokesperson for the sheriff's office confirmed to Snopes by phone that OMES asked the law enforcement agency to look into the incident, but they could not confirm additional details about an investigation.
In the state senators' joint statement, Paxton referred to the incident as "a bizarre and troubling situation that raises serious questions about the events and what took place" during the executive session at the board meeting. He added:
The accounts made public by board members paint a strange, unsettling scene that demands clarity and transparency. Senator Pugh and I appreciate the quick action by OMES to help coordinate through this situation to get details on exactly what happened. More transparency is essential before strong conclusions can be drawn.
Pugh offered the following statement:
The reports coming out of Thursday's Board of Education meeting raise a number of questions. This is a situation that warrants further explanation and transparency. Additionally, Superintendent Walters and those making the allegations deserve to be heard and give their side of the story. I appreciate the efforts by everyone who are taking these allegations seriously. We'll be watching closely as more information comes to light.
Sources:
Evans, Murray. "Board Members Say Naked Women on TV in Ryan Walters' Office during Closed Session." The Oklahoman, https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/education/2025/07/25/nude-women-visible-on-tv-in-ryan-walters-office-oklahoma-education-board/85378094007/. Accessed 28 Jul. 2025.
Murphy, Sean. "Oklahoma State Superintendent Orders Schools to Teach the Bible in Grades 5 through 12." AP News, 27 June 2024, apnews.com/article/oklahoma-bible-schools-religion-ryan-walters-d15be2f74df2ffbbdfdc549569d06c4e. Accessed 28 July 2025.
Ndisabiye, Sasha. "Board Members: TV in Ryan Walters' Office Displayed Nude Women during Executive Session." NonDoc, 25 July 2025, nondoc.com/2025/07/25/board-members-tv-in-ryan-walters-office-displayed-nude-women-during-executive-session/. Accessed 28 July 2025.
X (Formerly Twitter), 27 July 2025, x.com/RyanWalters_/status/1949566691685306449. Accessed 28 July 2025.
"Senate pro Tem Paxton and Senate Education Chairman Pugh Comment on Potential SDE Investigation | Oklahoma Senate." Oksenate.gov, 25 July 2025, oksenate.gov/press-releases/senate-pro-tem-paxton-and-senate-education-chairman-pugh-comment-potential-sde?back=/press-releases. Accessed 28 July 2025.
Franklin, Abigail. "Third Board Member Speaks out after Allegations of Naked Women on TV in Supt. Walters' Office." KFOR.com Oklahoma City, 27 July 2025, kfor.com/news/oklahoma-education/third-board-member-speaks-out-after-allegations-of-naked-women-on-tv-in-supt-walters-office/. Accessed 28 July 2025.
Dowers, Graham. "OMES Refers Ryan Walters Office Incident to Oklahoma County Sheriff." News9.com, 28 July 2025, www.news9.com/story/6887a662c40af63ee1a56c4c/omes-asks-oklahoma-county-sheriff-to-review-incident-in-ryan-walters-office. Accessed 28 July 2025.
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