The Oklahoma State Capital

OKLAHOMA CITY — The search for the alleged “pornographic” footage that sparked a high-profile controversy at the Oklahoma State Board of Education took a significant turn this week, as a key witness recalled new visual details from a specific scene—potentially clarifying what was actually shown on a television during the board’s executive session.

A witness account from a recently aired television interview—along with a newly released batch of public records—is adding weight to the growing hypothesis that members of the Oklahoma State Board of Education may have mistaken a Fox News teaser featuring vintage 1980s WWF (now WWE) footage of professional wrestler Hulk Hogan for female nudity during the board’s July 24 meeting.

The incident triggered a wave of media coverage and political reaction after newly appointed board member Becky Carson—attending her third board meeting—claimed to have observed female nudity on a distant television screen. Carson said the footage appeared while the board was gathered for a closed executive session in State Superintendent Ryan Walters’ office. She reportedly alerted Walters, who, with his back to the television at the time, located a remote control and turned the screen off.

The following day, Carson filed a complaint with the state’s Office of Management and Enterprise Services—the same day multiple print outlets published her public account of the event.

In that media coverage, Carson’s supporting witness—fellow State Board of Education member Ryan Deatherage, and the only other board member reported to have seen the footage—described “retro” content that featured nude women and what he believed to be a chiropractic table.

On Wednesday, Deatherage offered follow-up details, as he and Carson appeared live and in person on Oklahoma City’s KWTV where anchor Karl Torp pressed him to describe the footage.

In response to Torp’s question, Deatherage stopped short of describing specific nudity, instead characterizing the footage as “vintage” and comparing its production quality to television shows from the Three’s Company or MASH era. Closing his eyes tightly and raising his hands to his head as he tried to recall the moment, he described clothed individuals, including a person in a "red-and-white striped shirt” and another wearing a “white hat”—what he called a “Gilligan-type hat” or possibly a “boonie hat.”

Deatherage’s description appears to match two seconds of vintage footage that aired at the end of a 30-second top-of-the-hour news teaser.

The teaser, broadcast at 1 p.m. CST—shortly before the board returned from its executive session—was part of the opening sequence for the second hour of Fox News’ America Reports as it teased an upcoming segment on the death of professional wrestling icon Hulk Hogan.

The teaser closed with a two-second shot of Hogan wearing a yellow do-rag—headwear that covered his entire head down to his ears and, when viewed from the distance between the board’s meeting table and the television, could have easily resembled a “boonie” hat. He was framed against a backdrop of two other men dressed in a mix of red and light yellow—the signature colors of Hogan’s wrestling persona.

Deatherage’s possible confusion between bright yellow and white appears to be understandable. Multiple sources familiar with the office layout have provided The Capital with diagrams showing that the television was positioned at a considerable distance from where board members were seated. The TV reportedly sat on a cabinet along a far wall in a separate section of the L-shaped office suite. The board’s conference table occupied the longer extension of the “L,” while the superintendent’s desk and office were located in the base. From their seats, board members may have had to look around—or over and past—Walters, and across the adjoining office space, to view the full screen. That distance and angle may have impaired their ability to see visual details such as the lower-third chyron or the finer elements of the retro footage.

This is not the first time Deatherage has appeared to confirm details consistent with the Hogan footage.

Another segment of the teaser featured a zoomed-in shot of Hogan pinning another wrestler, framed against a white wrestling canvas. From a distance, that canvas could reasonably align with Deatherage’s earlier description—shared with print media—of what he believed was a chiropractic table.

In another cutaway, Hogan appears shirtless, wearing only tight-fitting yellow wrestling briefs—a color not dissimilar to his skin tone. His long bleached-blond hair, combined with the similarly bleached hair and minimal attire of the other wrestler in the frame, may have contributed to the perception that two women were being shown. From a distance—and if viewed peripherally—the pair, both light-skinned and mostly unclothed, could plausibly have been mistaken for women, and may have been the specific visual that triggered the 62-year-old Carson’s concern that she was witnessing female nudity.

Additionally, Deatherage’s effort to date the footage appears to align with the historical nature of the clip. Three’s Company (which aired from 1977 to 1984) and MASH (which concluded in 1983) are consistent with the vintage nature of the Hogan footage, one segment of which has been dated to 1987.

The reporter who broke the story, The Oklahoman's education journalist Murray Evans, appeared on CNN’s The Lead with Jake Tapper on July 28 and described Deatherage’s initial observation of the alleged nudity as having been made “out of the corner of his eye.” If accurate, that explanation could help account for Deatherage’s potential failure to properly identify the harmless nature of the footage.

Deatherage’s vivid and specific recollection of a “boonie hat” and a “red-and-white striped shirt”—imagery that closely matches the final frame of the 30-second Fox News teaser, which lasted only two seconds, before the entire clip quickly transitioned to the next content—suggests that, at that moment, he was no longer viewing the footage peripherally. Instead, the scene had likely captured his full attention, possibly because Carson had just alerted Walters. By the time Walters turned to look, the segment had likely already disappeared—along with the teaser itself—potentially leading him to believe the board members had either imagined, or worse, fabricated the entire incident.

Document Drop: Witness Confirms Fox News Was Playing; Forensic Investigators Unable to Cast to TV

Lending additional credence to the Fox News–Hulk Hogan hypothesis are newly released documents from the State Department of Education’s preliminary review of the incident, an IT summary from the Office of Management and Enterprise Services, and a forensic analysis of the television conducted by Yukon-based technology firm Alias Cybersecurity.

The Department of Education’s review included a statement from a board official confirming that the television was tuned to Fox News. The review also stated that Walters had never connected a personal device to the television; that OMES officials did not believe it was possible to stream content to the television from a mobile device; and that Walters was never alone in the office on the day in question, reportedly accompanied at all times by law enforcement, staff, or board members.

The preliminary OMES review, along with a supporting report from Alias Cybersecurity, appears to rule out the possibility that the footage in question originated from an external device—whether malicious, accidental, or intentional. Investigators found that although the television had the ability to host casting, and was connected to the state’s open network, network restrictions prevented access to the device from either mobile phones or computers. Investigators were unable to see the device on the network either from their mobile device or from their computer. Specifically, when investigators attempted to “Cast to Device,” they were unable to establish a connection.

Email correspondence between the Department of Education and OMES shows a rapid response by state officials. The state’s IT director requested the review mid-morning on Monday, and within an hour, education officials had scheduled the inspection. The forensic review was conducted by the end of the day—approximately one business day after the details of the reported incident had been reported in the media.

The Discovery of the Footage

The possibility that board members may have misinterpreted the Hulk Hogan footage was first raised shortly after the controversy broke, in an analysis by independent Substack journalist Domesticated Warrior. Building on that reporting, The Capital confirmed that Fox News is frequently displayed on the television in the superintendent’s office.

From there, the focus shifted to identifying the most likely footage—aired on Fox News during the time of the executive session—that could have confused board members. Deatherage’s recollections helped guide that search, particularly his references to “retro” footage and his description of what he believed was a chiropractic table.

To locate the footage, independent journalists analyzed the Internet Archive’s feed of the West Coast stream of Fox News. After accounting for the time difference, the opening of the second hour of America Reports, just after 1:00 p.m. CST, emerged as the most likely source—an assessment later bolstered by Deatherage’s additional recollection. The clip lasted just 30 seconds, serving as a teaser for a full segment scheduled to air later in the hour. Its rapid disappearance may explain why, by the time Walters was alerted, he saw nothing noteworthy on the screen and simply turned the television off—likely in an effort to pacify Carson.

The 1:00 p.m. timing also appears to align with reports in print media indicating that the footage aired during a presentation by an applicant seeking approval of a transfer request. According to the executive session agenda, that presentation occurred near the end of the closed session, shortly before board members returned to the public boardroom—an action observed at approximately 1:30 p.m. At that time, a visibly jovial Carson was seen laughing and joking about “cow tipping” with Deatherage.

Ongoing Investigation and Media Coverage

In addition to the internal review conducted by OMES, the matter remains under active investigation by the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office. Investigators are likely to interview all individuals who attended the meeting, though most were reportedly not in a position to view the television.

That investigation is likely to explore the discrepancy between Carson’s and Walters’ accounts of Walters' response to Carson's concern.. Walters has stated that he simply turned off the television after Carson raised her concern, while Carson has described a more dramatic response. In contrast, Deatherage told KWTV that he had difficulty recalling the specifics of Walters’ reaction, noting that he wasn’t paying close attention. That statement appears to conflict with the July 28 interview given by reporter Murray Evans to Jake Tapper. Evans told Tapper that both Deatherage and Carson had described Walters’ reaction as “flustered..”

During the KWTV interview, anchor Robin Marsh asked whether the board members were being truthful. As Carson began to respond—stating that her account of Walters’ reaction had been truthful—Deatherage interrupted, cutting her off before she could provide further detail. The interruption may have obstructed what could have been a helpful clarification for investigators working to reconcile conflicting narratives.

Both Marsh and Torp failed to ask Carson or Deatherage to reveal if one of them had leaked the matter to the press or were responsible for the story receiving public attention prior to the outcome of the OMES investigation.

In addition to corporate media outlets, the incident has drawn interest from independent journalists and social media commentators. One individual filed an open records request seeking the department’s Cox Cable bill, which appears to confirm that the Department of Education subscribes to a basic television package that includes Fox News. The Capital has independently confirmed the validity of that request.

Referenced documentation may be found at OklahomaStateCapital.com.