Top 30 News Anchor Breaking Fails

#30: I So Pale

Kicking things off is a legendary hot mic moment that proves you should always assume the camera is rolling. News anchor Erin Conrad was casually chatting with her co-anchor before famously declaring “I so pale.” The sheer panic that flashes across her face when she realizes she’s live on the air is absolute gold. To make it even funnier, the duo tries to soldier on and report on the winter storm, but they just can’t get through it. Giggles are audible throughout, and the two desperately try to remain professional. They can’t quite do it, but hey, points for trying.

#29: The Falling Runway Model

Jim Vance and George Michael were beloved for their professionalism. But they met their match with a stumbling model. The duo attempted to narrate a fashion clip featuring a runway model who continuously slipped and tumbled down the catwalk in a pair of impossibly high heels. The visual was simply too much for the veteran journalists. Both men burst into tears of pure laughter, entirely unable to breathe, sit up straight, or finish a single coherent sentence. Their deep, bellowing laughs are wonderfully infectious, creating one of the greatest television bloopers ever seen.

#28: Anderson Cooper & Gerard Depardieu

While delivering a comedic piece regarding French actor Gerard Depardieu urinating on an airplane, the teleprompter script was heavily loaded with bathroom puns. Anderson Cooper successfully powered through the first few jokes, but the sheer absurdity of the story eventually shattered his professional facade. Once he giggled at a ridiculous pun, a complete breakdown quickly followed. He spent over a full minute giggling uncontrollably on live TV, wiping away heavy tears and visibly turning bright red. It remains a fan favorite precisely because it shows the highly serious newsman having a little fun.

#27: The Swimming Fat Cat

Up next is a remarkably wholesome blooper that perfectly captures the unpredictable joy of morning broadcasts. A news anchor attempted to read a human interest story about an overweight cat attending water aerobics at an animal rehab center. The accompanying video footage was undeniably hysterical. The visual of the miserable and soaking wet cat was just too much for the anchor to handle, and she soon let out a series of high pitched, breathless squeaks. She fought valiantly to complete the segment, but every time the camera cut back to the miserable swimming cat, she only laughed harder.

#26: The “Bomb” Scare

Anchor Lisa Rose was delivering what seemed to be a terrifying report about a bomb threat, with a man “fixin’ to blow up” a local Home Depot. Of course, someone took this threat a little too seriously, and the “blow up” was actually of the bathroom variety. Their stunned realizations are priceless, but the real casualty here is co-anchor Ethan Forhetz. Trying to transition directly from a flatulent faux pas into a weird local story about a missing tree completely breaks him. The result is a glorious, tear-inducing fit of uncontrollable on-air giggles!

#25: Macaque

When an animal story involves a monkey known as a “macaque,” the middle school humor writes itself. FOX21’s Craig Coffey learned this the hard way when he attempted to report on a story featuring the chubby primate. The pronunciation sounds dangerously close to something else, and the similarity was just too much for him to handle. It’s a beautifully hilarious reminder that local news anchors are just regular people desperately trying not to laugh at a cheeky pun on live TV. And it also proves that, at the end of the day, we’re all just overgrown children at heart.

#24: The Ig Nobel Goat Man

During a lighthearted segment, a Canadian news team attempted to report on the prestigious Ig Nobel Prize winners. The award was given to a strange researcher who spent three full days living amongst a herd of wild goats in the Alps, equipped with artificial prosthetic hooves. Upon seeing the unbelievable footage of a grown man crawling across a rocky hillside to graze with confused farm animals, the entire news desk absolutely lost its collective mind. We can’t say we blame them. That is one surreal visual.

#23: The Bug-Eyed Suspect

Sometimes unfortunate editing gets in the way of a very serious story. This poor anchor was forced to read the grim details of the murder of Tara Lynn Grant, who was killed and dismembered by her husband, Stephen. Stephen’s ridiculous mugshot took the anchor by surprise and she dissolved into laughter while reading the horrific report. The jarring contrast between her giggling and the grotesque details of the case made the clip go viral, and viewers proved sympathetic to her plight. That mugshot really is ridiculous…

#22: The Earliest Human Voice

BBC Radio anchors are renowned for their strict, unwavering composure, making any deviation an absolute delight. Newsreader Charlotte Green was assigned to play a fascinating historical clip featuring the earliest known recording of a human voice, captured way back in the 1800s. However, instead of sounding like a cool piece of history, the voice just sounds like a scratchy piece of audio you’d get if someone butt-dialed you. The ridiculous noise caught Green off guard and she quickly became infected with the giggles. She bravely tried to soldier on, but the voice was just too funny to ignore.

#21: The Pot Brownies

“I think we're dead. Time is going by really, really slow.” That infamous 911 call from an off-duty cop who overindulged in pot brownies is hilarious on its own, but watching seasoned news anchors try to report on it is pure gold! After playing the audio of the dramatically baked caller, the anchors absolutely lose their minds. Trying to maintain journalistic composure while listening to a man confidently declare his own demise from a weed brownie is an impossible task, and we have to give them credit for trying.

#20: The Ryan Lochte Interview

Conducting celebrity interviews can test some anchors’ patience, especially when the subject provides bizarrely nonsensical answers. A local news team was granted an interview with Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte. His responses to basic conversational questions were so profoundly vacuous and strange that the anchors could barely keep straight faces. But the second the satellite feed was cut, the entire news desk unleashed their true feelings and erupted into uncontrollable laughter. It created a viral moment of genuine broadcasting amusement.

#19: Hamster Mugshot

Nothing derails a serious broadcast quite like a ridiculous graphic, and the infamous hamster mugshot is a prime example! Imagine trying to maintain your integrity while staring down the barrel of a camera, only to have the control room flash a picture of a rodent instead of a hardened criminal. The anchor’s struggle to keep a straight face is an agonizing, laugh-out-loud battle of wills. It’s a perfect storm of technical difficulties and adorable absurdity, proving that sometimes, live TV is basically just a high-stakes try-not-to-laugh challenge.

#18: Angry Dog

We’ve all felt a little bit of road rage, but this furry commuter took it to a whole new level! When a local news segment featured a viral clip of an impatient dog laying on the car horn to rush its owner, the anchors completely lost their composure. The sheer audacity of the honking hound, combined with the anchors’ breathless, wheezing laughter, makes this a delightfully chaotic segment that is now a piece of internet history. It’s impossible not to crack up right along with them as they helplessly try to transition back to the news.

#17: The Unicorn Costume

Halloween costumes are pretty standard on the news, but Global Calgary meteorologist Jordan Witzel took things to a magical new level in 2019. Strutting onto the set as Ferdinand the mystical unicorn - complete with a shockingly tight white onesie, a rainbow mane, and a majestic horn - Witzel completely derailed the morning broadcast. Watching him prance around in his skin-tight costume while his co-anchors literally weep with laughter in the background is pure comedic perfection.

#16: The Airport Poop Emergency

There’s nothing like a little bathroom humor to completely derail a morning broadcast! KTLA’s Megan Henderson tried to deliver a grim report about an airport having a messy bathroom disaster, but her co-anchors just couldn’t take it seriously. We mean, hearing about messy toilet water leaking down onto people’s luggage is just inherently goofy. Henry DiCarlo and Chris Schauble instantly devolved into a fit of breathless giggles in the background and even began making their own poop jokes. It’s a spectacularly messy moment proving that no matter how professional we are, potty humor always wins!

#15: “Emergency Defecation Situation”

New Zealand newsreader Hilary Barry usually maintains flawless composure, but one hilarious police report completely broke her. While attempting to read a story about an “emergency defecation situation,” Barry descended into a fit of tear-inducing giggles and was completely unable to finish the segment. Even better, she had to try and transition to a serious news story immediately after, resulting in a beautifully chaotic struggle to regain her journalistic dignity. In honor of Barry, we will no longer be saying “pooped our pants.” They are now “emergency defecation situations.”

#14: The Surfer Bros

When an Australian surfer was caught on camera with a massive great white shark lurking right behind his board, the “Today Show” brought him and his buddy on for a serious interview. However, host Karl Stefanovic quickly discovered these laid-back surfer bros were hilariously unbothered! Instead of discussing their brush with death, the guys casually joked about their weekend antics and completely downplayed the dramatic photo. Stefanovic was utterly derailed by their peak Aussie energy, dissolving into wheezing laughter at their aggressively chill attitude. No one is more chill than Aussie surfer bros.

#13: The Artichoke Disaster

Holiday cooking segments are usually wholesome, but this catastrophe was a recipe for disaster! Host Leslie Horton proudly declared that her artichoke dip had gone horribly wrong and decided to torment her co-workers with a taste test. To their credit, they do actually try the food, but they soon devolve into fits of gagging, sputtering, and spitting out the food. Watching them politely try to swallow while openly questioning if they’ve just been poisoned is pure television magic. Remember kids, if artichoke dip tastes like vinegar, run far, far away.

#12: Play with Yourself

Phrasing is everything in broadcasting. During a “Global News Morning” segment in Calgary, the team was casually discussing the rising popularity of pickleball. But when an anchor innocently suggested that her co-worker could “play with [himself],” the entire news desk completely lost it. The real star of this clip is the spectacular fit of on-air snorting. Nothing will ever be funnier in a professional setting than snorting. It's a delightfully pure moment where absolute professionalism crumbles under the weight of a dirty joke.

#11: CPR Baby

Medical demonstrations are meant to be educational, but this infant CPR segment quickly spiraled into pure comedy. ABC anchor Amanda Sanchez had to report on a baby giving CPR to a dummy, and the resulting footage was just way too adorable for words. It also completely sent Sanchez, who couldn’t even finish the segment. And when it cuts back to Sanchez in the studio, she’s laughing and awkwardly looking off camera for any semblance of help. It is not coming, and it’s all the funnier for it.

#10: The Wrong Beavers

This blooper comes from the morning show KJRH’s “2 Works For You Today.” The anchors discussed an adorable report about a beaver trashing a Dollar Store in Maryland. This caused anchor Daniel Winn to crack a joke about how unusually cute this beaver was, at least compared to the ones he’s seen. All three anchors completely lose it. The team tries to segway into the weather segment, but the trio can’t hold back their giggles. They can barely even introduce the next story on therapy dogs because they’re laughing so hard.

#9: The Ugliest Dog Contest

This next report is discussing California’s annual “World’s Ugliest Dog Contest,” which has been running since the 70s and can sometimes attract an audience of more than 20,000 people. The prize is an impressive $1,600 and a trip to New York City. As you might expect, some pretty hilarious looking dogs compete. They’re so funny that, in this clip, we can see a pair of anchors break completely while reporting on the contest. The priceless slideshow is played more than once, making you wonder if the crew just wanted to push the anchor to his limits.

#8: Messing Up the Microphones

Our next blooper comes all the way from South Korea and though we may not understand the words, we get the gist of the situation. The first mistake is a comical voice crack from a reporter out in the city. Things go further downhill when they cut back to the studio. The anchor begins her next story, but is rudely interrupted by the other reporter. She says something along the lines of “Wow! My voice cracked!” Unfortunately, the anchor is interrupted again immediately after. It’s now a man’s voice, telling the reporter off for not turning off her microphone. The studio anchors can’t take it, making the report nigh on impossible. It seems the editors realized this too, suddenly cutting away mid-laugh.

#7: Beaver Fever?

Our next blooper comes from back in the ‘80s. These reporters just couldn’t keep it together while reporting on a plague epidemic. This isn’t the black death that wiped out much of Europe, thankfully. Instead, it’s likely to have been a parasite that was once known as “beaver fever,” since it tends to infect rodents. As our older viewers will know, “beaver fever” is a euphemism. It's so funny the second anchor can’t hold it together, despite the dark nature of his report. They never even once say “beaver fever,” but we assume that just the thought causes such chaos.

#6: Grumpy Cat

The celebrity Tardar Sauce, more commonly known as Grumpy Cat, has been a popular meme ever since first causing a sensation in 2012. An underbite and feline dwarfism combined to make her look grumpy constantly. Well, she was so famous that she was once interviewed on Australia’s Today Show. This was partly because of a new book about the cat, which immediately became a bestseller. The anchor Karl Stefanovic tries to play it deadpan, asking questions he knows won’t be answered. Eventually, he loses it, cracking up completely at the kitten’s priceless expression. Grumpy Cat tragically died in 2019, only 7 years old, but her image is immortalized in pop culture.

#5: Dyngus Day

This was originally a Polish Christian holiday, traditionally held on Easter Monday. It’s known as Poland’s water fight holiday, so if you’re visiting during Easter, bring a raincoat. It’s also observed in some Polish-American communities, notably in Buffalo, New York. In the states, its traditional customs have blended with American ones. One of its rituals, involving a certain type of branch, can be incredibly funny to an outsider’s ears. Its name is also a sidesplitter. It’s so funny, Anderson Cooper could barely begin his report. Instead, he burst into laughter for a full minute, live on TV.

#4: Lightning Recovery

Our next blooper comes from a phenomenal story about a woman surviving a lightning strike. She wasn’t expected to survive, and even died at one point. Heroically, she pulled through, making an amazingly inspiring recovery. The news station recorded an interview with the lady, but somehow it got completely messed up. It’s hilarious. The anchor does a remarkable job of maintaining his composure, but we can hear the whole studio chuckle in the background. A final shot shows the other two anchors fighting an uphill battle to contain their giggling.

#3: Learning About Furries

Anthropomorphic animals have been a favorite of humans for at least 35,000 years. Numerous ancient Sumerian tales involve animals with human traits. Now, in the modern day, thousands of people worldwide carry on this tradition, in the form of furries. The furry fandom is relatively new, with MSNBC presenter Mika Brzezinski learning about their existence live on TV. She finds it all too much and runs out of the studio dying of laughter. Co-anchor Joe Scarborough has a hard time containing his giggles, and the third must know about furries already, since he’s the only one competently reporting.

#2: Chris P. Bacon

Our next blooper comes from a story about an inspiring pig, with one of the most memorable pig names in history - Chris P. Bacon. A local channel ended their newscast with a wholesome story about the pig, who has no back legs and needs a custom piggy wheelchair. When reporter Robert Bradfield read his name, it’s impossible to maintain composure. He even asks his coworker, Tori Shaw, to read the story for him. Unsurprisingly, Shaw was equally hysterical, leaving no one to finish the report. Bradfield was worried he’d get a telling-off, but thankfully no one minded.

#1: The Sketchy Sketch

Police sketches are usually drawn by trained artists, with hand drawing being the FBI’s preferred method. Well, it seems not all of them are trained, as proven by this police sketch. As soon as it’s shown to the anchor, you can see him battle to contain his laughter. He does a pretty good job, but loses it when they reveal the criminal’s real appearance. Now that’s a frame of news that should be remembered forever. We even hear his co-anchor struggling to hold it together, it's that funny. To this day, it remains a mystery how this sketch helped catch the perpetrator.

Could you have kept a straight face? Let us know in the comments below!