Arsenal legend Thierry Henry has delivered a powerful message after receiving abusive messages on social media for something he did not say. The 48-year-old shocked his CBS Sports colleagues at the start of their Champions League coverage on Tuesday night.
Henry Addresses Abuse During Broadcast
Host Kate Scott had asked the Frenchman how he was feeling at the beginning of their build-up to Arsenal's semi-final second leg against Atletico Madrid. Looking down at the table, Henry said: "Oh, this week better than last week. I'll tell you why because it's something I need to address." Fellow pundit Micah Richards then asked in jest: "Are you addressing the nation?"
"Yes," Henry replied. "Because last week I had to spend the whole week trying to put stuff down on social media for something that I didn't say. It's okay to get abused on social media for something, maybe, that I would have said. But on something that you didn't say, that has been retaken by some media outlet out there without checking the facts of what I said on this show - and if you wanna check the facts of what I said on this show, it's simple, you can go on our Instagram and you can know, actually, what I said."
Call for Fact-Checking
Henry continued: "Unlike some people I don't put my hand here (covers mouth) and try to cover what I said. You can see my face, I have a mic. You can go, once again I repeat, on our site. So, that's lazy journalism to go off someone writing something on Twitter about, apparently, something that I said on this show, and it's not the first time. But to get abused on social media because people don't check what happened, it is not nice. So, I just wanted to put it out there: do your research. We are in 2026, if you wanna know something, you can go and check on our Instagram, whoever says it. It's not the first time, it didn't happen only to me, it happened to Jamie [Carragher], it happened to Micah. Please check, it's easy, thank you."
The panel then hailed Henry for his speech before Carragher quipped: "Can people stop abusing me in general?" Richards replied: "How about you stop saying stupid things, then?"
Fake Quotes and AI Misinformation
It is unclear what Henry was specifically referring to, although it is likely that the made-up comments were connected to his analysis of last weekend's Champions League fixtures. Fake quotes which are often generated by AI and attributed to high-profile pundits have become commonplace on social media.
Henry, who is now active on Instagram, quit social media in 2021 over 'toxic' material, including racism and bullying. "From tomorrow I will be removing myself from social media until the people in power are able to regulate their platforms with the same vigour and ferocity that they currently do when you infringe copyright," the former Barcelona star said at the time. "The sheer volume of racism, bullying and resulting mental torture to individuals is too toxic to ignore. There HAS to be some accountability."
