Rep. Yassamin Ansari reported to be dating YouTuber Jack Cocchiarella, per TMZ

TMZ reported on Thursday that Rep. Yassamin Ansari, a 34-year-old Arizona Democrat, is dating YouTuber Jack Cocchiarella, 24. 1 2 According to the report, the two met when Cocchiarella interviewed Ansari in spring 2025 and have been seeing each other for the past few months. 1 2 The Hindustan Times, citing TMZ's sources, says they became friends several months after the interview and later became romantically involved. It adds that the report gives no specific dates for either step. 2

Ansari declined to discuss the relationship. She told TMZ, "I'm not commenting on my personal life, nor is it anyone's business," and used her statement to criticise ICE and President Trump's war in Iran. 1 2 Ansari said she is focused on helping Democrats flip the House. Cocchiarella also declined to comment on his personal life, and neither has publicly announced or confirmed the relationship. 1 2 Ansari is a first-term Democrat who represents Arizona's 3rd Congressional District. The New York Post says she was the first Iranian American Democrat elected to Congress, in 2024. 1 2

Cocchiarella is a political YouTuber who has interviewed Gavin Newsom, Zohran Mamdani and Hakeem Jeffries. The outlets differ on his audience size: the Post says more than 1.6 million subscribers, while the Hindustan Times, citing TMZ, says more than 1 million. 1 2 The New York Post adds background that the Hindustan Times does not include. In April, an online petition with more than 13,000 signatures called for an investigation into alleged ties between Ansari and Iran. The Post says it offered no evidence and included a doctored image. Ansari called the claims lies. 1 The Post also reports that Cocchiarella faced multiple sexual assault allegations at Dartmouth in 2022, according to the Columbia Spectator. He later sued a former classmate over online claims, and the case was settled. The Post says he has denied wrongdoing. 1