Rep. Steve Cohen Image by getty images

Jewish Rep. Steve Cohen says he was playing a joke on reporters by Tweeting — then quickly deleting — a flirty message to singer Cyndi Lauper.

Cohen, a Memphis Democrat, said he knew the Tweet, in which he thanked the ’90s star for “what a night,” would get attention because of a similar incident during the State of the Union speech involving his bikini model love child daughter, Politico reported.

Victoria Brink

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

“I tweeted exactly what I wanted to tweet and I deleted exactly what I wanted to delete,” Cohen told reporters at a press conference Friday.

Cohen, who is a lifelong bachelor, met Lauper at a White House event promoting the musical legacy of his hometown.

He later Tweeted: “@cyndilauper great night,couldn’t believe how hot u were.see you again next Tuesday.try a little tenderness,” the web site said. Another one read: “Cyndi,Wow what a night!See you next Tuesday and Try a little tenderness again!Wow!What a special night.Thanks Steve.”

He quickly deleted the Tweets, which he said were designed to nettle reporters who keep track of his account.

He joked that Justin Timberlake and a group called the Alabama Shakes, who were also at the event, were just as “hot” as Lauper.

Cohen’s first Twitter misstep came when social media-watchers noted his overly familiar Tweets to sexy bikini model Victoria Brink during President Obama’s state of the union address to the nation.

Cohen later disclosed that Brink was actually his daughter from a long-ago relationship and he had only recently discovered their relationship.

“Pleased u r watching. Ilu,” he Tweeted at the time, using a popular shorthand for “I love you.”

“When she let me know she was watching the State of the Union address… I had such joy, that I couldn’t hold back from tweeting her,” he told NBC news.

Cohen, a four-term lawmaker, is the first Jewish congressman from Tennessee.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’re in the middle of our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we have a very ambitious goal of $127,000 by April 21.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a Passover gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Make a Passover Gift Today!

$90 $180

$360

Other amount