Fox News Asks The Dalai Lama If He’s Ever Seen ‘Caddyshack’ And Receives A Fitting Response

Fox News anchor and Special Report host Bret Baier concluded his recent interview with His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama with a question about Caddyshack. Yes, the pair did discuss the head of Tibetan Buddhism’s visit with President Barack Obama, which was deemed detrimental to years of “mutual trust and cooperation” between the United States and China by the latter’s Foreign Ministry. However, none of that was important because, per Baier’s tweeted explanation after the broadcast, he just “had to give it a shot.” Unfortunately Baier’s shot was, to paraphrase Bill Murray’s Carl Spackler, a “big hitter… into a 10,000-foot crevice” of nothingness.

“Have you ever seen the movie Caddyshack?” the Fox News correspondent asked. The Dalai Lama’s response was succinct, yet perfect: “What?” It only gets better in the awkward seconds that follow:

BAIER: Caddyshack, the movie.

DALAI LAMA: I don’t know.

BAIER: The part about the Dalai Lama. Have you ever played golf?

DALAI LAMA: No.

BAIER: You’re not a big hitter?

DALAI LAMA: In badminton.

BAIER: But not golf?

DALAI LAMA: No.

BAIER: There’s a classic movie called Caddyshack where they talk about the Dalai Lama.

DALAI LAMA: I see.

BAIER: I had to ask you about it.

DALAI LAMA: I don’t know.

BAIER: Well thank you very much for the time.

So why the hell did the Special Report host ask his holiness about the comedy classic? For those of you who (a) don’t remember or (b) haven’t seen it, one of Caddyshack‘s best bits is Spackler, a groundskeeper played by Murray who spends most of the film battling a gopher. In a scene that gifted the internet with the So I Got That Goin’ For Me, Which Is Nice meme, Spackler recalls that one time he caddied for the Dalai Lama.

Despite his confusion, the Dalai Lama was a good sport about everything. So was Baier, who bantered back and forth with fans and detractors alike on Twitter following the broadcast:

(Via Gawker)