The West Hollywood Gay Dads Who Punched A MAGA Influencer Have A Message…And It Isn’t About Him
David Vulin, one half of the West Hollywood gay couple who clashed with right-wing influencer Ryley Niemi in April, has told CNN that the real problem in the viral confrontation is not Niemi himself but the platforms that pay for rage-bait content aimed at LGBTQIA+ families.
The Vulins sat down with CNN’s Donie O’Sullivan in a segment published on 11 May 2026, three weeks after David was charged with felony vandalism. Their GoFundMe for legal costs has now cleared US$100,000.
A quick refresher on what happened
On 16 April 2026, Anthony Vulin (who serves on West Hollywood’s Business License Commission) and his husband David were walking along Santa Monica Boulevard with their young son Ante when Niemi and a four-person crew approached.
They told the family they were filming for CNN. They were not. Niemi works with the Temecula-based outfit Off The Record USA. His line of questioning pivoted quickly from the baby’s name to the long-discredited claim that gay men are more likely to commit child abuse.
According to the couple, Niemi shoved David first while David was holding their son. Video footage then shows David striking Niemi. We covered the immediate fallout in our April report.
What David told CNN
Speaking to Donie O’Sullivan, David framed the incident as a deliberate setup.
“I realised that we were manipulated into having this interaction with someone who was exploiting us for viral content,” he said. “When someone inserts themself into a specific community, with the intention of triggering people, it’s not freedom of expression, it’s exploitation.”
The bigger enemy according to David
Asked if he had a message for Niemi, David did something unexpected. He refused to make Niemi the headline. “I don’t really think this is about him,” David told CNN. “This isn’t about one specific content creator, this is about an incentivised institution. This is about large platforms telling youthful audiences what works and not being held accountable.” Niemi has previously run similar ambush content against trans people, per PinkNews, and the model has been clearly working.
Where the case stands
David is preparing to fight the felony vandalism charge, which relates to alleged damage to Niemi’s camera valued at more than US$400. The couple maintains the camera was never touched. David’s legal representative has been blunt with CNN: David “did what any father would do and protected his family. The wrong person spent the night in jail.”
David spent roughly 12 hours in custody before release. Niemi has launched a separate GoFundMe seeking US$25,000 in replacement equipment.
A measured note from David
For someone facing a felony after a stranger called him a paedophile on his own street while he was holding his baby, David’s closing message to CNN landed softer than the situation invites.
“I think that across the board, regardless of political identity, people need to extend grace to one another. People need to extend kindness to one another, be nicer to themselves, so that they can be nicer to other people.”
