This on-air blooper by an MSNBC reporter was a double-whammy.
On Tuesday morning, anchor Craig Melvin introduced a segment on how Trump's White House was preparing for its transition to President-elect Joe Biden's team and cut to reporter Ken Dilanian.
But instead of receiving intel from Dilanian, viewers saw the reporter fumbling over his phone after apparently losing his feed right as Melvin asked, "Ken, what have you learned, sir?"
Dilanian had but two words to say:
"Oh sh*t. F'k!"
You can watch the clip here.
Ken Dilanian just said "s**t" and "f**k" on live TV as he appeared to lose his feed... YIKES https://t.co/0LldQzNrjj— Caleb Hull (@Caleb Hull) 1605027621.0
After an awkward pause, Melvin maintained his composure and told guffawed viewers:
"OK. Uh. Think we lost Ken for a second, we'll try to get him back there."
On Twitter, people found the live bungle amusing and forgave the reporter for his snafu.
@CalebJHull The silence as the anchor tries to figure out how to respond is a riot. 🤣— PwnyBoy (@PwnyBoy) 1605029550.0
@CalebJHull People make mistakes get over it! DAMN,all these perfect ppl out here disgust me,we just had a blessful… https://t.co/tOp0swZgvZ— JOYCE GRIFFIN (@JOYCE GRIFFIN) 1605030236.0
@swanson1954 @CalebJHull It's a normal human reaction though, probably to reading about the latest Team Trump corru… https://t.co/ex3bUSiGrI— 𝟷𝟿𝟾𝟺⚘ɪꜱ ɴᴏᴛ ꜰɪᴄᴛɪᴏɴ 🌊💦💙 (@𝟷𝟿𝟾𝟺⚘ɪꜱ ɴᴏᴛ ꜰɪᴄᴛɪᴏɴ 🌊💦💙) 1605034626.0
@CalebJHull I felt bad for @KenDilanianNBC. I love @MSNBC. I think @craigmelvin handled it calmly. This situation… https://t.co/Dp5f989Oiu— CandyLand🍫Dont let ur kid grow up to be a GQP (@CandyLand🍫Dont let ur kid grow up to be a GQP) 1605035466.0
@CalebJHull Wow, he encapsulated what is happening within the Trump administration with just 2 words!— Mary (@Mary) 1605029687.0
Dilanian later apologized for the gaffe, saying:
"I want to sincerely apologize to viewers who may have heard me use profanity at the top of the last hit."
In a tweet, he attributed the embarrassing snafu to wearing too many hats in a year that had many people scrambling to do their best under current circumstances.
"So sorry for the profanity I used on air last hour. I was experiencing some technical difficulties and mistakenly hung up on the control room, though my mic still was on."
"Perils of playing producer, cameraman and tech support all at the same time from home. #2020"
So sorry for the profanity I used on air last hour. I was experiencing some technical difficulties and mistakenly h… https://t.co/D0IMSDbWEv— Ken Dilanian (@Ken Dilanian) 1605028725.0
Many people found the situation relatable given 2020's track record.
@KenDilanianNBC Meh. It was a much needed laugh in the middle of craziness. We’ve all been there.— Mama_C2 🇺🇸 (@Mama_C2 🇺🇸) 1605029504.0
@KenDilanianNBC @oliverdarcy It's all good Ken, you only said what we have been experiencing and feeling for the la… https://t.co/CTeSr4skPE— Guillermo Triguero 🇦🇷🇺🇸 (@Guillermo Triguero 🇦🇷🇺🇸) 1605029231.0
@KenDilanianNBC I'm sorry you're embarrassed, but you should know you gave many of us much-needed smiles and laughs… https://t.co/du4eHhRCEn— Leslieoo7 ☠️ 🇺🇲 (@Leslieoo7 ☠️ 🇺🇲) 1605029329.0
It happens to the best of us. Except we're not caught on TV doing it.