Image via Complex Original
On live television, it takes mere seconds for family-appropriate viewing to go off the rails. Today's example: Charlo Greene, the former reporter for KTVA in Alaska who quit on live TV in order to devote her energy to running the Alaska Cannabis Club. Greene's final sign off—"Well, fuck it."—may have cemented her status as a national hero to some Americans, but it is also a shining example of why working live is a very complicated thing. There are just so many...variables. Here are some of the most painful on-air reporting fails in recent history.
Sue Simmons Ain't Having It
Even the vets make on-air mistakes. Sue Simmons of WNBC has decades of experience and apparently no patience. (If she's this mean when she's sitting at the news desk with a coworker, imagine how mean she is to the guy who bags her groceries.)
BREAKING: "I'm The N***a"
If someone rolls up and snatches the mic from you, maybe you're not holding it hard enough? In this instance, Ashley Taylor looks on in horror when a young man interrupts her report to deliver some very important breaking news.
FOX Misreports HealthCare Act
Oh, no big deal. You just reported on live television that one of the biggest pieces of legislation that America has seen since the Social Security Act is unconstitutional when really, that's not what happened at all. Way to lose your credibility, FOX.
Dude Isn't Ready For Primetime
Dear A.J., if the first words out of your mouth are "fucking shit" once you hear that cameras are rolling, then maybe you should go back to blogging about cats in your parents' basement because clearly you're not ready for primetime, bro.
Don't Ask Tyson About Rape
Journalists have to ask hard questions, but they also need to ask them wisely. It's true that Mike Tyson has been convicted of rape, but it's also true that he's not afraid to play dirty. In this instance, the interviewer probably should have anticipated Tyson's reaction before letting him go H.A.M.
Keep Boning That Chicken
It takes a tough man to make a tender forecast, and it takes some serious balls to tell that man to "keep fucking that chicken" while on live television. The best part about this fail is the fact that Mr. Anastos doesn't seem to realize what he's done until he sees his co-anchor's face.
This Is a P**** PSA
Again, hold your mic harder, otherwise someone will snatch it out of your hands and deliver a major public service announcement about pussy that has since become a national trend.
No, Hugh Janus Isn't a Name
What good would it be to allow people to send in their birthday and anniversary announcement requests if a prank can't, ahem, slip through the cracks every now and then? Here, this unassuming weatherman wishes a happy 10th birthday to a lucky young man with a huge anus.
Don't Throw Shade at Badu
PIX-11 reporter Mario Diaz thinks that he's more famous and important than Erykah Badu, so when she interrupts his report to give him a kiss, he throws mad shade at her when he'll probably never get that close to a celebrity ever again.
Gonna Go Sell This Dope
And of course, the biggest fail (or victory) of them all: That time Charlo Greene revealed that the marijuana dispensary she had just been reporting on is in fact the dispensary for which she serves as president. Not only does she quit on air, she gave her business a ton of free PR beforehand, says "fuck it," and then walks off stage like a boss.