Hochul's Office Mocks Kathy Zakharia Over Aaron Rodgers Injury Post Amid Governor's Press Secretary Scandal
New York Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul's press office mocked Kathy Zakharia's first White House appearance by posting a photo of Aaron Rodgers' injury at the White House.
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New White House press secretary Katie Zacharia praised President Donald Trump's rally in Youngstown, Ohio on Monday and outlined his upcoming campaign stops. In his first briefing in his new position, Zacharias pointed to economic figures that compared Trump's wage record to former President Joe Biden's.
New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul's press office appeared to mock new White House press secretary Kathy Zacharias' first job by releasing a photo of Aaron Rodgers arriving before the Jets game in which he suffered a season-ending injury. His previous press secretary Hochul was forced to resign after allegations of sexual harassment last year.
The governor's press account shared the image while quoting a White House post announcing, "Your new press doctor, @KatieZacharia, makes her debut at the podium."
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The juxtaposition appears to draw comparisons between Zakaria's introduction and Rodgers' suddenly shortened debut, though Hochul's office did not provide any written explanation with the image.
OutKick reached out to the governor's office and asked what analogy he had in mind and whether he was comparing Zacharias' first briefing to Rodgers' injury in 2023.
Hochul's own press operation had previously faced a sexual harassment scandal. Her then-press secretary, Avi Small, subsequently resigned on July 4, 2025. Her office confirmed that she had been placed on leave pending an investigation into the sexual harassment complaint.
Small was accused of inappropriately touching an employee at an Albany bar after a staff event on June 16. The governor's office said the investigation was "substantially concluded," but declined to disclose its findings, the New York Post reported.
Anthony Hogreb, his communications director, said at the time: "Governor Hochul does not tolerate misconduct by New York State employees.
Hochul subsequently defended his government's response, telling reporters: "The culture changed, the system worked."
Many users on social media criticized Hochul's office for Tuesday's post with a previous scandal in its press operations.
Zakaria succeeds Carolyn Leavitt after President Donald Trump appointed her to the position on Friday. His first briefing lasted about 14 minutes and ended with him instructing reporters to question Trump before he left for Alaska. Trump later praised his performance.
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"I thought he was great. He did very well," Trump told reporters.
The White House also praised Zakaria's inauguration briefing in an official statement and emphasized his commitment to promoting Trump's agenda and maintaining the administration's agenda.
Hochul's press account has cultivated a controversial social media presence. In a March interview with City & State, his rapid response director described the account as a means of pushing back against the Trump administration's attacks.
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