Live interviews are undoubtedly nerve-wracking for both the presenters and interviewees, but sometimes when people don’t quite gel the result can make viewers feel secondhand embarrassment.
Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon appeared on BBC’s The One Show to advertise the new series of their drama, The Morning Show. Unfortunately, that’s not what viewers were talking about after the interview.
Presenter Zoe Ball asked Aniston about her experience behind the scenes of a real morning TV show, Good Morning America.
Aniston clearly isn’t jealous of morning broadcast staff and said: “It’s a very vampire state of life and mind that you guys live in. Everybody comes alive in the middle of the night and it’s a slow-moving train.
“I got there at five o’clock in the morning and the hallways were quiet and people are just slowly waking up and then all of a sudden, the train starts moving and it gets crazier and crazier and crazier.
“It’s utter chaos until they say ‘three, two, one’.”
Host Jermaine Jenas laughed and interjected. Addressing Witherspoon he said: “Reece I’m going to be honest with you, Jennifer has pretty much sold it to me that she’s not a morning person so I’m going to ask you, are you a morning person?”.
Aniston, scratching her head furrowing her brow, said: “Did I sell that to you?”
Jenas replied: “A little bit.”
“Did I get a good deal?” Aniston responds, looking away from the camera, as Jenas laughs somewhat uncomfortably.
Some took to Twitter to say the interview was awkward:
Others didn’t pick up on any awkwardness and were just happy to see The Friends star on their tellies:
Others poked fun at her internet connection:
Speaking on BBC Radio 2 this morning, Ball said: “We’re still all just getting over that moment of talking to Jennifer Aniston.”
Either way, it’s certainly not the most awkward interview moment we’ve ever seen. Remember when the then-head of NHS England Simon Stevens gave a rather telling response when asked if he believed whether then-health secretary Matt Hancock was “hopeless”?
What do you think? Make up your own mind by checking out the interview for yourself: