Trans Black Hawk pilot, falsely accused of piloting DC crash helicopter, on why she was targeted

After a commercial airliner and military helicopter crashed in January in Washington, D.C, killing all the passengers on both craft, a transgender Black Hawk pilot was falsely accused by social media influencer Matt Wallace of being the pilot at the helm.

But Jo Ellis — who served in Iraq and Kuwait and is now in the Virginia National Guard — had been at home, in bed at the time of the tragedy. The rumors of her involvement went viral, and her name became one of the most popular social media searches in the country.

The social media influencer retracted the post and confirmed that Ellis was not involved. Now, Ellis is fighting back with an anti-defamation suit.

She joins Here & Now's Robin Young to talk about the impact of the rumor on her life and why she’s fighting back

Social media influencer Matthew Wallace did not respond to Here & Now's request to comment by publication.