Senator Tuberville draws ridicule for bizarre claim about furry pilots

In a Senate address tied to his run for Alabama governor, former football coach and Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville claimed that a significant number of airline pilots, flight attendants and air-traffic controllers are members of the furry community, describing the group as "mentally-unwell." The statement was sharply rebuked by Democratic gubernatorial candidate Doug Jones, who called it the most unusual speech he had ever heard on the Senate floor.

Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel lampooned the claim, suggesting only the President and Donald Trump could stop "six-foot squirrels" from flying commercial routes. Tuberville, 72, also proposed reopening mental institutions as a remedy. The episode adds to a pattern of Tuberville’s anti-LGBTQ actions, including a 2023 blockade of military promotions over "woke" policies and recent proposals to criminalize gender-transition care. Critics say the furry pilot narrative is a fear-mongering tactic ahead of the November midterms.