The New Orleans mayor scandal of an extramarital affair has sparked a controversy on social media. 

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell has denied allegations of engaging in an extramarital affair, calling the accusations baseless and claiming they are rooted in s*xism. 

The 50-year-old New Orleans police officer Jeffrey Vappie’s wife made new charges in her revised divorce petition claiming her husband had a s*xual relationship with a lady only identified as “Mrs. L.C.” as of this writing. 

LaToya Cantrell, the city’s 50-year-old mayor, has been identified as “Mrs. L.C.” by a number of local media publications. 

In 2018, Cantrell became the city of New Orleans’ first female mayor. In the midst of multiple financial scandals, she is currently fighting a recall campaign.

Danielle, Vappie’s wife, claims that her husband has been having an affair with the mayor since May 2021, when he started working on Cantrell’s detail.

The mayor allegedly messaged a reporter to push back against the “false allegations,” stating that she is frequently the target of such claims.

Cantrell also reportedly stated that the accusations would not even be an issue if she were a man. The news outlet and the mayor’s office have not yet commented on the matter.

The controversy comes amidst the ongoing recall efforts against Cantrell, which are focused on issues such as high crime rates, allegations of corruption, and poor infrastructure, among other things. 

The recall has a significant hurdle to overcome, with over 20,000 signatures required within the next five weeks.

This is not the first time a female mayor has faced a scandal in the United States. 

In 2018, Nashville Mayor Megan Barry resigned after discovering that she was having an affair with a police officer on her security detail. Barry pleaded guilty to a charge involving the misuse of overtime hours she used to travel with the officer.