Fact Check: CNN's 2018 'Cuckolding' Story Is Real—But the Viral Photo Is Not
CLAIM: A screenshot circulating on social media shows a CNN article headlined "Cuckolding can be positive for some couples, study says," accompanied by a photo of a white couple and a Black man sitting on a sofa. The image is presented as if it came from CNN.
RATING: The headline is real, but the image is not. CNN published an article with that headline in 2018. The original story used a different photo: three white people walking together, seen from behind. Archived versions from 2018 and the article as it appears on CNN's website now both use that same image.
Where the claim came from
The claim appeared in an X post by @IanMalcolm84 on Sept. 24, 2026. The post shared the CNN headline alongside the sofa image. At the time of writing, the post was visible on X. The headline in the screenshot read: "Cuckolding can be positive for some couples, study says."
Image source: post by @IanMalcolm84 on X.
What CNN actually published
CNN's 2018 article is real and still available. Its headline matches the one shown in the viral post. The photo does not. The original image features three white people walking away from the camera. A current screenshot from CNN's site and an archived 2018 version from the Internet Archive both show the same three-person photo.
Image source: CNN.
An archived version of the article from 2018 uses the same image of the three white people, as shown below:
Image source: Internet Archive.
Why the mismatch matters
The post's headline is accurate, but the photo attached to it is not from CNN's article. That distinction matters because viral screenshots often travel faster than corrections. When an image is swapped or shared without context, it can shape how audiences read a real story and can deepen suspicion of the press. In this case, the misleading element is not the headline but the visual paired with it.
Readers who encounter similar screenshots should check the original article, look for archived versions, and compare the image with the publisher's own page before sharing. In this instance, the CNN headline checks out. The photo does not.