If award shows and news segments have taught us anything, it’s that live television is unpredictable. Audiences may be left in stunned silence by accidental swears, live stream fails (looking at you, Love is Blind finale), or anytime Kanye West is given a mic.
But some fails are harder to live down than others, for example, the news anchor who said “slay” on live television after an intern forgot to turn off the microphone.
In a TikTok posted last week, news anchor Giselle Hood is heard saying “slay” after she finishes her segment while other anchors are reporting on the murders of three people, including a child. Hood wrote on the overlay text of her video that she thought she was “in the clear,” meaning her voice wouldn’t be heard.
Hood reports for WVUA 23, a station that covers West Alabama.
“Literally the worst timing,” Hood wrote in the video’s caption. “I want to make it abundantly clear I was talking about my live shot, not the shooting.”
On Tuesday, Hood’s TikTok had almost 13 million views.
“I know people love news bloopers, but I didn’t expect the clip to receive such an instant and overwhelming reaction from people,” Hood told the Daily Dot.
@gisellehood literally THE worst timing 😭 also I want to make it abundantly clear I was talking about my live shot and not the shooting #newsreporterbloopers #newsbloopers #livetvbloopers #fypシ ♬ original sound – gisellehood
Many commenters on Hood’s video asked if she had faced any consequences for her mistake. One commenter asked if she was “still employed.”
In a follow-up video, Hood explained that most of the people shown in her video and involved in the broadcast were interns, including the person handling sound and audio.
“You see me in the video finishing my live hit and then going off camera,” Hood says. “That’s the point when they’re supposed to cut my mic.”
She said that the situation, which occurred a few months ago, was a “great learning lesson” for the person in charge of sound and confirmed that she didn’t get in trouble for it herself.
