The 25 Worst News Anchor Fails

We want our news anchors to be robots, capable of reciting the day’s events without displaying emotion or missing a beat. But they’re only human, and humans fuck up. Because they spend the bulk of their time on-air, the rolling cameras are bound to capture some flub.

Last month, Kyle Dyer, a veteran anchor for Denver’s NBC News affiliate KUSA, set the Internet ablaze after being bitten in the face by a rescued dog on live television. In a recent interview with ABC News, Dyer described her first thoughts after the attack: “I'm bleeding, and it had to be on television."

Worse has occurred on camera, and there’s nothing the masses love more than witnessing a public meltdown. Complex knows few things are more entertaining than a good train wreck, so we’ve taken the time to bring you the 25 Worst News Anchor Fails.

Words by Julian Kimble (@JRK316).

Station: City TV Toronto
Year: 2011

That awkward moment when your nose starts running uncontrollably on camera: What’s a reporter to do? Try and suck it back into your nose, but sadly, that doesn't work out here. Superhead would be proud of this technique. Also, how about the perfection of a reporter having nostril struggles while dishing a story about Charlie Sheen? Priceless.

Watch the clip here.

Station: Global TV Toronto
Year: 2011

This anchor was breaking the news that President Obama had given the green light on the mission that killed Osama Bin Laden, but she kept confusing “Osama” and “Obama.” Even if somebody pulled a Ron Burgundy on her, this would still be unacceptable.

Watch the clip here.

Station: Fox 8 WJW News Cleveland
Year: 2007

This cat seemed to give reporter Kathleen Cochrane fair warning that he didn’t want to be held, but she tried to soldier through his threatening yowls. When she didn’t get the message, he tapped (or clawed) her jaw and skated, leaving a shocked Cochrane in tears. Somebody should’ve told her there’s no crying in television.

Watch the clip here.

Station: WGN Chicago
Year: 2010

While trying to catch live footage of a bridge’s implosion, this newscast wastes too much time treading water. After cutting away at the wrong time, the station switches back to the bridge, only to miss the action. It’s like pump-faking multiple times and having your shot swatted into the stands.

Watch the clip here.

Station: KOMU8 Missouri
Year: 2011

This KOMU 8 anchor’s helium-voice and confusion of “pro-bono” and “pro-boner” does nothing to kill that blonde stereotype. She’s so cute though, you just wanna put her in your pocket—no, it's still just irritating.

Watch the clip here.

Station: WABC New York
Year: 2010

If only this ABC 7 reporter had let the n-bomb slide and then followed it up with an awkward, “Yeah, I said it” silence. Sure, he would’ve lost his job but the hood (read: WorldStar) would’ve loved it.

Watch the clip here.

Station: KGTV 10News San Diego
Year: 2011

While delivering some good NCAA Tournamet news about San Diego State University, 10 News Sports Director Ben Higgins is nearly mowed down by a renegade SUV moving a mile a minute in reverse. Luckily, he’s saved at the absolute last second. If he'd been hit, it would’ve been amazing for ratings. And least millions would’ve seen that special license plate.

Watch the clip here.

Station: WTVT-TV Fox 13 Tampa
Year: 2010

This reporter, who has no business at a skatepark in the first place, damn near has a heart attack when he pancakes a kid on a half-pipe. Why he attempted to walk across it in the first place is beyond us, but he bodied that kid. We bet he’ll stay far away from anything skateboard-related from now on.

Watch the clip here.

Station: CNN
Year: 2009

It’s already amazing that the segment was titled “Nuts on Northwest Flights,” but the fact that the anchor seems to desperately want to say “penis” instead of “peanuts” is richly rewarding. You can see her going to such great lengths to avoid saying “penis” but still she fails. And it ain’t the accent.

Watch the clip here.

Station: TMJ4 Milwaukee
Year: 2010

Liquor, double-fisting, and a quickie. It’s 90 seconds you’ll never forget.

"That’s what she said."

Watch the clip here.

Station: CNN
Year: 2011

It’s not the fact that Anderson Cooper was just so amused by Gerard Depardieu’s public pissing that’s bad, nor is it the seemingly endless stream of puns (though they do get irritating), it’s the laugh itself. We’re glad he has a sense of humor, but watching him turn into Tickle Me Elmo gets annoying fast. Come on, Anderson, you gotta hold it down.

Watch the clip here.

Station: Fox News
Year: 2006

It’s pretty obvious where her mind was, and the other reporter just makes it worse by rubbing it in her face. The anchor's knowing smile says it all.

Watch the clip here.

Station: CNN
Year: 2008

After a mild shot at Roland Martin, she goes straight for Leslie Sanchez’s jugular, dropping the c-word twice. She can act like it was an accident all she wants; we know she did it on purpose. Both times.

Watch the clip here.

Station: KXAS-TV NBC5
Year: 2004

When a lizard latches on to his blazer, this reporter spazzes, coming as close as one possibly can to spewing obscenities on live television without actually doing so. And oh, that tumble.

Watch the clip here.

Station: WVLTV Tennessee
Year: 2010

Gordon Boyd’s clipboard spike is anything but celebratory; it seems to come out of nowhere. Apparently, Boyd’s rage was ignited by a producer repeatedly yelling something unrelated in his ear as he attempted to report the details of a grisly rape and murder. The look on the anchor’s face following the spike is priceless. Boyd claims the station forced him out the door following the incident, and that he only received six weeks’ severance instead of a full contractual payout. That’s straight up Rodney Dangerfield.

Watch the clip here.

Station: Global News Toronto
Year: 2008

We concur, it was a bad idea. But whose idea was it to have reporter Rob Leth stand directly in harm’s way, only to get rocked during a snow tube race? He managed to finish the segment, but he was in obvious pain. Though he attempted to walk it off, they should’ve gotten a gurney to take this dude away. Years later, he still hates snow tubes.

Watch the clip here.

Station: Fox News
Year: 2002

The only thing Jennifer Lopez has lost over the years is Marc Anthony; ten years ago she really had dudes tongue-tied. This Fox News anchor was apparently so hypnotized that he managed to confuse “block party” with “blow job.” His mind was way down in the gutter, but it’s a slip up that Freud himself would be proud of.

Watch the clip here.

Station: Fox News
Year: 2012

Leave it to Fox News to proudly wear the crown of disrespect. After Rep. Maxine Waters (D.-Calif.) referred to House Republican leaders Eric Cantor and John Boehner as “demons,” Fox and Friends host Eric Bolling fired back. Telling someone to “step away from the crack pipe” isn't exactly endearing, but to reference Whitney Houston just days after her death is flat out disrespectful.

How does he still have a job?

Watch the clip here.

Station: WNYW Fox 5 NY
Year: 2009

This f-bomb was dropped so quickly, nobody had time to duck for cover. If you think we’re joking, check out the reaction of the female anchor to the left. Enjoy the slow-motion instant replay while you’re at it, because everything is better in slow motion. By the way, that’s a pretty clever meaning for “KFC.”

Watch the clip here.

Station: WAGA-TV Fox 5 Atlanta
Year: 2008

Here’s some advice: When having a grape-stomping competition, make sure that your surface is sturdy. Also, accept your loss like an adult, or you’ll end up face-first on the ground sounding like several severely injured animals. Hubris like a motherfucker.

Watch the clip here.

Station: Fox 6 News San Diego
Year: 2006

Fox 6 reporter John Mattes thought it was all good when investigating a possible real estate scam, but his ambition led to him getting stomped out on camera. Mattes was doing a segment outside a home when Assad “Sam” Suleiman came at him like a spider monkey while his wife Rosa Barazza delivered endlessly quotable threats. Mattes suffered crack ribs, cuts to his face, and bite wounds—all in the name of journalism. He brought it to them, so they brought it to his jaw.

Watch the clip here.

Station: WNBC New York
Year: 2008

Sue Simmons, who has been WNBC’s lead female anchor since 1980, will always be remembered for this one unprofessional moment. What the fuck was she doing? A truly golden moment.

Watch the clip here.

Station: CNN
Year: 2007

While discussing the Duke Rape Scandal, Nancy Grace hands things over to another reporter to discuss statistics, but he’s so amped to discuss sports that he goes all-the-way-in on college lacrosse scores. The way Nancy Grace belittles him in her Southern drawl is priceless, and it looks like this proves that stats really don’t lie—as long as they’re the correct ones.

Watch the clip here.

Station: KARK-TV Arkansas
Year: 1995

Reporters are regular people just like the rest of us, but it’s still hilarious to see them break down and have “human” moments. This clip will be best remembered for Isiah Carey’s lightning-quick change from stage voice to real voice and back after a fly flew into his mouth. It was amazing enough to be immortalized by Jimmy Kimmel, ET, Howard Stern, The Cleveland Show and, of course, Tosh.0.

Watch the clip here.

Station: CBS (Inside Edition)
Year: 1980's

Everyone loves witnessing a public meltdown, but there’s nothing more satisfying that watching self-righteous dickheads unravel on camera. Calling Bill O’Reilly an explosive asshole would be a statement of the obvious, but watching him throw an adult tantrum because he can’t comprehend the phrase “to play us out” is a beautiful disaster. Leave it to conservatives to flip out over simple things they just can’t seem to understand. Remember when Cam told O’Reilly he had dirt on him? What if this was it? Speaking of Cam, we’d love to see his reaction to this.

Watch the clip here.