Top 10 Craziest Live TV FAILS of 2022
#10: Baby Elephant
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Kenyan Elephants had a rough 2022, as East Africa’s worst drought in decades had a devastating impact on the population. But if it’s any consolation, this clip gives us a little hope and a little levity. In November, journalist Alvin Kaunda filmed a segment on baby elephants being cared for in a Kenyan orphanage in response to the drought. But Kaunda didn’t have to do much to get viewers on their side as a little one started inspecting the reporter with its trunk. Kaunda actually does a good job taking it in stride, that is until the trunk makes its way to his face. Kaunda bursts into giggles, and though the elephant may have interrupted the speech, it made the segment.
#9: Today in Sports: the Weather
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Tony Armstrong was an Australian rules footballer before becoming a sports presenter on the morning show, “News Breakfast;” he knows all about being a team player. So the network was probably thankful for this fact in July when weatherman Nate Byrne was missing in action. Anchor Joe O’Brien tried to hand off the program to Byrne, only for the camera to cut back to Armstrong. Armstrong then attempted to handle the weather himself, flexing some improvisational talents to boot. The segment never really got back on track, but watching Armstrong play for time and the folks behind the scenes struggle to keep up proves endlessly delightful.
#8: “Manchester United Are Rubbish”
No, that’s not WatchMojo’s stance on the Premier League team, but it was that of BBC News, albeit accidentally. In May 2022, the channel began giving a tennis update, but it was the ticker below that got everyone’s attention. At one point, the words “Manchester United Are Rubbish” scrolled by on the bottom of the screen. Naturally, United fans were none too pleased at this “news,” and BBC subsequently apologized. It was explained that the words were random text typed by someone merely training to use the ticker, never expecting it to go on air. It’s an honest mistake, and probably could’ve been a whole lot worse. Still, we now know someone at BBC is not a fan of Manchester United.
#7: With Great Power
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Touchscreen is a pretty incredible technology. We all remember where we were when we got our first smartphones, and we’re sure meteorologist Greg Dutra remembers when he discovered he could manipulate his monitor at WLS-TV’s studio in Chicago. During a morning weather update, Dutra gestured to his screen, inadvertently touching it and manipulating the presentation. His reaction is priceless, acting like a kid with the keys to a candy shop. His joy was so infectious, that even anchor Terrell Brown couldn’t help but get in on the touchscreen action. Let’s just hope that Dutra doesn’t discover he can control the weather too. Or if he can, that he’s on our side…
#6: Gardening Club
In the English language, a good amount of words have multiple meanings. However, some definitions are so taboo that they overshadow all others, something “Good Day Philadelphia” host Mike Jerrick was reminded of in May. While discussing World Naked Gardening Day - which, yes, is a real thing - Jerrick unwittingly made a very apt innuendo. Jerrick clearly heard it as soon as he said it, attempting to list off all the other gardening tools that don’t have suggestive meanings. Co-host Alex Holley meanwhile does her best to contain her laughter. It’s a pretty forgivable blunder, and one that’s doubtless to come again. We’re pretty sure “Jeopardy!” host Ken Jennings knows exactly how Jerrick feels.
#5: Boris Johnson, Meet Benny Hill
The Chris Pincher scandal is a highly unfortunate turn of events that emerged in the UK in July, leading to the resignation of numerous government officials, including Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Scores of British people celebrated Johnson’s departure, and the music they used to soundtrack the media circus was priceless. Early on in the developing story, actor Hugh Grant tweeted to activist Steve Bray, encouraging him to start playing Benny Hill music. Bray obliged, and began blasting Hill’s signature track, “Yakety Sax,” outside British Parliament. Since numerous live reports were going on outside Parliament, the tune made its way onto several broadcasts, almost creating a real-life meme in the process.
#4: Reporter Hit by Car
Let’s just preface this one by saying everyone involved is totally fine. But it still made for a scary moment nonetheless. In January, reporter Tori Yorgey gave a live update on a water main development in Dunbar, West Virginia. Before she could even get started, Yorgey was suddenly knocked over by a car. The car thankfully wasn’t going very fast, so Yorgey was only taken off her feet. The driver, who was evidently confused by the road work, was immensely apologetic. Yorgey, however, without a camera operator, rebounded incredibly well, assuring everyone she was alright and even continued with the report. She did go to the hospital just to be sure, but all we can diagnose her of is being an absolute pro.
#3: Objection in the First Degree
The Depp v. Heard trial may be more of a livestream event than a live TV one, but seeing as the Law & Crime Network is available with certain cable subscriptions, we’re counting it. We likely don’t need to rehash the nitty gritty of what’s proven to be one of the most publicized celebrity court cases in recent memory, so we’ll stick to this singular moment. At one point, one of Amber Heard’s attorneys Adam Nadelhaft began cross-examining Johnny Depp’s former house manager Ben King. Nadelhaft asked King a question, but when he ostensibly didn’t get the answer he expected, Nadelhaft objected. Judge Azcarate was quick to remind Nadelhaft it was his own question, leading us to lower our expectations a little for celebrity lawyers.
#2: Hideo Kojima Mixup
You can’t stop Internet trolls from undermining serious events with dark humor. But usually that’s as far as it goes. On July 8th, former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was horrifically assassinated while delivering a speech. The reported perpetrator, one Tetsuya Yamagami, was arrested at the scene, but instead someone else was head-scratchingly implicated. People on sites like 4chan and Twitter began joking that renown video game designer Hideo Kojima was behind the attack, along with other falsehoods. Unfortunately, multiple news outlets took this misinformation as fact, even including photos of Kojima in their broadcasts. Several apologies and retractions were made, but legal action has been threatened over the error, reminding us all of the harmful nature of fake news.
#1: Oscars Slap
Most of the “fails” on this list are of the unintentional kind, but this one was completely deliberate. As is very public knowledge, the 94th Academy Awards took an appalling turn after comedian Chris Rock took the stage to present an award. As expected, Rock opened with a series of jokes, one of which was aimed at actor Jada Pinkett Smith. Her husband, nominee Will Smith, took offense at the jab, slapping Rock across the face before proceeding to shout obscenities from his seat. Smith was widely criticized for his actions, as was the Academy for failing to take action. Not only was Smith allowed to stay at the ceremony, but he was also allowed to accept an award shortly after.
