Just about everyone loves The Muppets. And who doesn't love Kermit the Frog, who famously declared that "It's Not Easy Being Green?"
Well, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson might have a bone to pick with the famous amphibian, creating a rather awkward moment at this year's United Nations General Assembly.
Johnson, who in a speech pushed the world to "grow up" and tackle climate change, awkwardly knocked Kermit for being "wrong" about the future of renewable energy, declaring that it is, in fact, easy to be green.
The issue came down to Johnson's delivery, which you can watch in the video below.
And here's the clip: Boris Johnson references Oxford philosopher Toby Ord, Greek God Boreas and Kermit in his speech at #UNGApic.twitter.com/JAOI3O33v0— Alexander Britton (@Alexander Britton) 1632361828
The audience looked on in silence as Johnson awkwardly evoked Kermit's catchphrase:
"And when Kermit the Frog sang 'It's not easy being green. Do you remember that one?"
"I want you to know he was wrong. It is easy to be green."
"It's not only easy, but it's lucrative and it's right to green... ...even though he was also unnecessarily rude to Miss Piggy I thought, Kermit the Frog."
The speech didn't really go over well, with many shaking their heads at Johnson's delivery, which appeared to cloud his larger message.
Like so many others, I work hard to engage with a huge range of audiences to make science accessible. This is just another predictable shambolic attempt at \u2026 well, I don\u2019t actually know what \u2026 it\u2019s not really a credible attempt at science engagement, is it?\n#KermitTheFrog https://twitter.com/adbritton/status/1440856055399866373\u00a0\u2026— Prof Ben Garrod (@Prof Ben Garrod) 1632413150
When you come up with a banger tweet and it gets 0 likes.https://twitter.com/nw_nicholas/status/1440942348930887682\u00a0\u2026— \ud835\ude70\ud835\ude95\ud835\ude9c\ud835\ude8a\ud835\ude97\ud835\ude8d\ud835\ude8e\ud835\ude9b (@\ud835\ude70\ud835\ude95\ud835\ude9c\ud835\ude8a\ud835\ude97\ud835\ude8d\ud835\ude8e\ud835\ude9b) 1632395300
He seems to pause, as if expecting laughter. UN General Assembly - tough crowd.https://twitter.com/nw_nicholas/status/1440942348930887682\u00a0\u2026— Patrick Smith (@Patrick Smith) 1632387683
Time to be grown up on #ClimateChange says the man who quotes #KermitTheFrog at the #UNpic.twitter.com/hXsNPwYbjW— \ud83c\udff4\udb40\udc67\udb40\udc62\udb40\udc77\udb40\udc6c\udb40\udc73\udb40\udc7f \ud83e\udda2N D L \ud83e\udda2\ud83c\udff4\udb40\udc67\udb40\udc62\udb40\udc77\udb40\udc6c\udb40\udc73\udb40\udc7f (@\ud83c\udff4\udb40\udc67\udb40\udc62\udb40\udc77\udb40\udc6c\udb40\udc73\udb40\udc7f \ud83e\udda2N D L \ud83e\udda2\ud83c\udff4\udb40\udc67\udb40\udc62\udb40\udc77\udb40\udc6c\udb40\udc73\udb40\udc7f) 1632421156
Oh, the embarrassment \n\nBoris Johnson quoting Kermit the Frog at the UN assembly. \n\nWhat a muppet. #KermitTheFroghttps://twitter.com/jimmfelton/status/1440955672418525188\u00a0\u2026— LisaB \ud83c\udff4\udb40\udc67\udb40\udc62\udb40\udc77\udb40\udc6c\udb40\udc73\udb40\udc7f\ud83c\udded\ud83c\uddf0\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfa (@LisaB \ud83c\udff4\udb40\udc67\udb40\udc62\udb40\udc77\udb40\udc6c\udb40\udc73\udb40\udc7f\ud83c\udded\ud83c\uddf0\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfa) 1632395918
Seriously, this actually happend.\n#KermitTheFrogpic.twitter.com/NSXlpb4wqT— \ud835\udd41\ud835\udd52\ud835\udd54\ud835\udd5c \ud835\udd41\ud835\udd52\ud835\udd6b\ud835\udd6b (@\ud835\udd41\ud835\udd52\ud835\udd54\ud835\udd5c \ud835\udd41\ud835\udd52\ud835\udd6b\ud835\udd6b) 1632421664
Can you think of a lower point British politics has been at? #KermitTheFrogpic.twitter.com/0fcHmAH2ir— Giles Paley-Phillips (@Giles Paley-Phillips) 1632393578
Wondering just how many in the UN audience felt @BorisJohnson's reference to Kermit the frog ['It's not easy being green'] \na) got the reference \nb) thought it was an amusing way to simplify his message \nc) thought it was utterly cringeworthy and deeply unserious..?— Paul Waugh (@Paul Waugh) 1632377950
Johnson's speech was otherwise rather pointed.
In it, he urged the world to take charge and move away from fossil fuels, which are dealing irreparable harm to the planet.
"We still cling with parts of our minds to the infantile belief that the world was made for our gratification and pleasure. And we combine this narcissism with an assumption of our own immortality."
"We believe that someone else will clear up the mess, because that is what someone else has always done."
"We trash our habitats, again and again, with the inductive reasoning that we've gotten away with it so far, and therefore, we'll get away with it again."
"My friends, the adolescence of humanity is coming to an end and must come to an end."
Johnson's past behavior, however, might be undercutting his message.
In June, he garnered heavy criticism for defending his use of a private jet to fly 250 miles from London to Cornwall for the G7 summit, where he and other world leaders discussed the impact of climate change.
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The Washington Post