https://youtu.be/TWLpOs-qNXM
Earlier this week, behind-the-scenes footage of MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell was leaked that was the second coming of Bill O’Reilly’s famous Inside Edition freakout. The eight-minute-long clip, in which O’Donnell melts down into a fit of rage over everything from technical difficulties with his earpiece to “phantom hammering,” quickly captivated the attention of the internet. Although to his credit, O’Donnell did later apologize for his behavior, it didn’t stop Stephen Colbert and others from having a bit of fun at his expense.
And you can hardly blame them, considering the extent of his rant:
“STOP THE HAMMERING UP THERE. WHO’S GOT A HAMMER? WHERE IS IT? WHERE’S THE HAMMER? GO UP ON THE OTHER FLOOR. SOMEBODY GO UP THERE AND STOP THE HAMMERING. STOP THE HAMMERING. I’LL GO DOWN TO THE GODDAMNED FLOOR MYSELF AND STOP IT, KEEP THE GODDAMNED COMMERCIAL BREAK GOING. CALL F*CKING PHIL GRIFFIN, I DON’T CARE WHO THE F*CK YOU HAVE TO CALL. STOP THE HAMMERING. EMPTY OUT THE GODDAMNED CONTROL ROOM AND FIND OUT WHERE THIS IS GOING ON.”
But really, when it comes down to it, O’Donnell is hardly the first news anchor to engage in some diva behavior. As such, internet blooper heroes News Be Funny complied the above supercut highlighting the best news anchor freakouts over the years, from O’Reilly’s aforementioned meltdown and onward. Because sometimes you really just need to do it live.