Timeline of Events: Walters TV controversy & investigation

Thursday, July 24, 2025:

1. Incident Occurs:
2. During a State Board of Education meeting held in Ryan Walters' office, board members Becky Carson and Ryan Deatherage reported seeing a video featuring nude women on a TV. They state they were the only attendees seated in a position to see the screen.
3. Another board member, Chris Van Denhende, confirms media reporting and says that while he could not see the screen, Walters did react and turned off the TV when Carson called attention to it.

Related: Superintendent Ryan Walters' allegations lead to bipartisan calls for investigation

Friday, July 25, 2025:

1. Allegations Reported:
2. The incident is reported by multiple board members to the media, describing seeing images of nude women on the office TV during the meeting. Lawmakers express concern, calling for clarity and transparency. Board member Van Denhende says "I have no reason to doubt what Becky Carson and Ryan Deatherage have said."

Related: Board members who allege nude video was displayed in Walters office speak out

Weekend (July 26-27, 2025):

1. Walters Responds:
2. Walters issues public statements claiming the allegations are "politically motivated attacks" by board members with a political agenda. He categorically denies any involvement or knowledge of what appeared on the TV, saying, "I have no knowledge of what was on the TV screen during the alleged incident," and asserts that none of his devices were used to display inappropriate content.

Related: Ryan Walters issues statement after OSDE explicit video allegations

Monday, July 28, 2025:

1. Investigation Referred:
2. The Office of Management and Enterprise Services (OMES) refers the matter to the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office for investigation.
3. The Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office confirms the case was referred to them and clarifies the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation and Attorney General’s office are not involved.
4. OMES says their own authority is limited to administrative reviews and records preservation, and criminal investigation falls to law enforcement.

Related: OMES refers Ryan Walters office incident to Oklahoma County Sheriff

Tuesday, July 29, 2025:

1. Walters Holds Press Conference:
2. Walters publicly defends himself, calling the last five days "the nastiest, biggest lie ever lodged [against] an official in Oklahoma."
3. He accuses board members Becky Carson and Ryan Deatherage, the press, teachers' unions, and even Gov. Kevin Stitt of orchestrating a "coordinated attack" to "crucify" his character and derail his education agenda.
4. Walters claims both OMES and the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office have "cleared" him and insists investigations found no evidence of wrongdoing, specifically stating no personal devices were connected to the TV and only cable was accessible.
5. He calls for Carson and Deatherage to resign "in disgrace for the lies they told" and suggests the governor was possibly involved in directing the board to make false allegations.
6. Walters tells the media, "My family has watched as a press corps showed why the public has zero trust in their reporting."

Related: Ryan Walters addresses nude video allegations in press conference: 'Coordinated attack to crucify my character'

1. Board Members Respond:
2. Board members, including Carson, Deatherage, and Mike Tinney, issue a joint statement:
3. They emphasize none have directly accused Walters of anything but simply reported inappropriate content that, if seen by a teacher, would result in their license being revoked.
4. They call on Walters to cooperate with law enforcement and to "refrain from smearing" their reputations.
5. Investigation Status Clarified:
6. The Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office publicly contradicts Walters' claim, stating, "We have not cleared anyone. The investigation is still ongoing... This investigation is still in its infancy, so it would be inappropriate to discuss who we plan to speak with or any evidence we are seeking. You can, however, expect a thorough investigation with the results being made public at the conclusion.".
7. OMES similarly states its review is separate and limited in scope.

Related: Investigation into Ryan Walters still ongoing, Oklahoma Co. Sheriff says

Wednesday, July 30, 2025:

1. Firsthand accounts:
2. Oklahoma Education Board members describe what they saw and how Walters and his staff reacted in the moment in an interview with News 9.
3. Board member Becky Carson describes the naked women and her shock at what she was seeing.
4. "I was like, 'What am I seeing? Are those women naked?'
5. "I basically treated him like a 15-year-old son. I said, 'What am I watching? What is on your TV? Get it off now.' He looked at me and then turned around and said, 'Oh my gosh,' and stood up."
6. Board member Mike Tinney strongly refuted Walters' allegations that the incident was a coordinated political attack, and wants the investigation to reveal the truth.
7. "It's absolute nonsense .. Even if some world where that happened, none of us would have done it anyway."
8. Whatever is true-that's all we want. We just want to know the facts."
9. Board member Ryan Deatherage finished with a message to Oklahoma parents on the incident and moving forward.
10. "This board is working for them ... we want to move that bar up. We want to hear from them. We want to do what's right."

Related: Exclusive: Oklahoma Education Board members speak out about inappropriate images in Walters’ office

Thursday, July 31, 2025:

1. Official TV Cybersecurity report is released
2. As part of the overall investigation, a probe was issued on Supt. Walters' TV 'history'
3. “A forensic examination of a smart television to assess whether it was possible to determine what content may have been displayed during a specific timeframe in the recent past, and to identify the source of that content.”
4. Investigators examined the TV, including HDMI inputs, coaxial connections, and network interfaces, and reviewed internal system settings and smart application configurations.
5. “It essentially said: we're going to have to rely upon witness testimony and further investigations and interviews in order to determine what actually happened here,” said Collin Walke, Hall Estill's Cybersecurity & Data Privacy practice.
6. Results: Inconclusive.

Related: Cybersecurity report probes Supt. Walters' TV history: 'We may never know what actually happened'

Tuesday, August 5, 2025:

1. Nude video seen in Supt. Walters' office likely movie
2. Alleged inappropriate video in Walters' office revealed as movie scene, according to Oklahoma house Speaker Kyle Hilbert.
3. Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office continue ongoing investigation, and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation has been called in to assist.
4. Hilbert said he contacted a government affairs specialist with Samsung to determine what aired on Channel 1204 during the reported timeframe.
5. According to the specialist, two films "The Protector (1985)" and "The Foreigner (2017)" aired during that period and contain scenes matching the board members’ descriptions.

Related: Nude video seen in Supt. Walters' office during meeting likely movie, House Speaker Hilbert says

Additional Context

1. Walters continues to describe the allegations as "categorically false" and frames the controversy as a political and media-driven attack designed to prevent education reform.
2. Board members maintain their only intention was to report inappropriate content, not to accuse Walters personally, and urge an end to personal attacks and political escalation.
3. Public and legislative calls continue for full transparency and accountability pending the results of the ongoing sheriff’s investigation.

Related: Supt. Ryan Walters under investigation following allegations of inappropriate images in office; What to know