According to Western Journal, the controversy erupted after the show’s X account declared on Jan. 2, “We make no apologies for saying so,” in reference to its patriotic pledge. Acosta, appearing Thursday on the podcast “I’ve Had It,” mocked the sentiment as unnecessary and promptly launched into a vulgar rant, using variations of the F-word five times in less than a minute.
“Get the f*** out of here. We all love America. That’s why we’re doing this. The reason why I do my job, and I like doing my job, is I love this country. I f***ing love this country,” Acosta said, insisting that his own biography proved his patriotism. He recounted his family’s immigrant story, adding, “My dad came from Cuba in 1962 three weeks before the Cuban missile crisis, fled communism. My mom, her folks were from the New York area. They came through Ellis Island. One of my great-grandparents was a maid at the Dakota Building here in Manhattan.”
January 16, 2026
Acosta then pivoted from his family history to his years of grandstanding in the White House briefing room, boasting about his confrontations with President Donald Trump. “And these two families came together, and there I popped out, and I went to the White House and gave Donald Trump a hell of a f***ing time. That’s America,” he continued, framing his combative posture toward the administration as some kind of civic virtue.
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He added, “And I’m not saying that I’m exceptional or anything like that, but it’s exceptional that something like that can happen in this f***ing world. And when I saw CBS doing that, I said, ‘What the f*** is going on with these people?’ Because we all love this country. That is beside the point.”
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The CBS program’s X account had listed “We love America” as the fourth of its five guiding principles, alongside pledges such as “We work for you” and “We respect you.” In a Jan. 1 video message, anchor Tony Dokoupil also promised to center “the average American” rather than “elites” in his coverage, a notable shift for a legacy outlet long criticized for catering to coastal, progressive sensibilities.
Dokoupil’s revamped “CBS Evening News” debuted early on Jan. 3 with breaking coverage of the United States’ capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro, before its first officially scheduled broadcast on Jan. 5. The new tone at the network follows the October appointment of Bari Weiss as CBS News’ editor-in-chief, a move that triggered staff turnover, layoffs, and a marked recalibration of its political reporting.
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Against that backdrop, Acosta’s outburst underscores how deeply some in the old media guard resent even symbolic gestures toward patriotism and populist accountability. While CBS now publicly insists it “works for” and “respects” ordinary Americans, Acosta’s reaction to a simple declaration of love for the country reveals the cultural divide between media elites and the viewers they claim to serve.
