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Katie Porter CBS meltdown: Abuse allegations resurface, former rep once dumped boiling potatoes on ex-husband's head

Katie Porter, who recently threatened to walk out of a CBS interview, was accused of pouring scalding-hot mashed potatoes on her husband's head in 2006.

Published on: Oct 9, 2025, 14:03:21 IST
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Abuse allegations against Katie Porter have resurfaced after she threatened to walk out of a CBS interview on being asked a simple question. Her former husband, Matthew Hoffman, previously claimed that the ex-Congresswoman often abused him verbally and even threw “toys, books and other objects” at him during their marriage. Hoffman also accused Porter of pouring scalding-hot mashed potatoes on his head during a fight, divorce records showed, according to a 2023 New York Post report.

Katie Porter abuse allegations resurface, dumped boiling potatoes on ex-husband's head (AP)
Katie Porter abuse allegations resurface, dumped boiling potatoes on ex-husband's head (AP)

Katie Porter abuse allegations

Hoffman filed for divorce from Porter in 2013. He said in a request for a restraining order dated April 30, 2013, that he was “routinely” called a “f—ing idiot” and “f—ing incompetent” by his wife. He also accused her of shattering a glass coffee pot on their kitchen counter in March 2012 because she felt that their house was not clean enough.

“She would not let me have a cell phone because she said, ‘You’re too f—ing dumb to operate it,’” Hoffman said of Porter.

“When she gets angry, she will claw and scratch her arms and then say to me ‘Look what you made me do!’” Hoffman also said in the records, obtained by the Daily Mail. “She regularly says that I am a bad parent in front of the kids … Recently the children began spitting at me and throwing their food at me, calling me ‘bad daddy.’”

Hoffman alleged that in 2006, Porter was unhappy with how he was preparing mashed potatoes for dinner. “Can’t you read the f—ing instructions!” she allegedly asked him, before she raised a “ceramic bowl of steaming hot potatoes and dumped it on my head, burning my scalp.”

Katie Porter called herself a ‘victim of domestic violence’

In response, Porter also made allegations against Hoffman. In her own request for a restraining order, she accused him of ordering her out of the house on April 24, 2013, and calling her a “dumb bitch,” a “despicable person” and “f—ing evil” before adding that she should “rot in hell.”

Read More | Katie Porter accused of ‘brainwashing’ her 12-year-old daughter into worrying about abortion if she gets raped

Porter also accused Hoffman of raging at their son, Luke, telling the child, “You have taken a bad situation and made it a thousand times worse.” Hoffman was also accused of punching a bathroom light switch, shattering it, and throwing a newspaper at Porter.

Porter called herself a “victim of domestic violence” in her first congressional campaign. Her House biography refers to her as “a single mom of three school-aged kids.”

“I don’t have a shady background,” Porter told HuffPost in May 2018. “I’m the most boring person in America. I’m a mom of three kids, I protected my family, I ended a marriage that was troubled.”

Katie Porter’s resurfaced video

A resurfaced video shows Porter screaming at a staffer during a discussion on environmental policy for the Biden administration. The clip, which has resurfaced after her CBS meltdown, California’s Democratic gubernatorial candidate is seen rebuking a staffer for innocently popping into frame.

Porter was discussing environmental policy with then-Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm when the staffer came into frame. The former Congresswoman quickly switched from a professional tone to a rude tone while lambasting the staffer, Politico reported.

Get out of my f–king shot,” Porter yelled at the surgical mask-wearing staffer.

The female staffer was seen interjecting with a correction to a statement made by Porter, who refused to ditch her rude tone. “Okay. Okay. You also were in my shot before that,” she said. “Stay out of my shot!”

  • Sumanti Sen
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Sumanti Sen

    Sumanti Sen covers everything that’s happening in the US, from politics to entertainment, but her expertise lies in covering crime news. She has comprehensively chronicled the Idaho student murders, the Laken Riley and Iryna Zarutska cases, and the killing of Charlie Kirk, among other incidents. Over the years, she has interviewed several victims/families of victims of crimes seeking justice. She digs up stories that might otherwise remain unheard, and does her bit to ensure that victims and survivors’ voices are heard. Sumanti’s many years of experience also include interviews with Hamas attack survivors and mental health experts, among others. Her coverage of the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and interviews with survivors of the tragedy, coupled with her other works including the Titan submersible coverage, earned her the Digi Journo of the Quarter award during her first year at Hindustan Times. Sumanti actively tracks missing person cases in the United States, and peruses Reddit and other social media platforms to bring to light cases that frequently elude public attention. She has extensively covered the disappearances of Nancy Guthrie, Thomas Medlin, Beau Mann, and Sudiksha Konanki, among others. When not at work, you will either find her with her novels, or with her beloved rescue pooches.Read More

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