A video of an Indian TV news anchor yelling at a guest for nearly two minutes before realizing it was the wrong guy has gone viral on social media.
Times Now anchor Rahul Shivshankar hosted Bohdan Nahaylo of the Kyiv Post, a Ukrainian English-language newspaper, and Daniel McAdams of the Ron Paul Institute for a conversation on Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Shivshankar apparently believed he was addressing McAdams about America's lack of direct military involvement in Ukraine. The show's production crew had placed the wrong on-air titles for the two guests, making it appear that Nahaylo was actually McAdams.
'Don't Lecture Us, Mr. McAdams'
In the clip that has gone viral online, Shivshankar is seen telling "McAdams" to "take a bit of a chill pill" while "McAdams" was sounding the alarm because "my country is at war."
The conversation quickly devolved as Shivshankar told "McAdams" to "get off the fence and send your forces and put boots on the ground!"
"Don't lecture us here in India, okay!?" Shivshankar exclaimed. In all of the shouting, insults and crosstalk that followed, Shivshankar apparently failed to realize he wasn't arguing with McAdams, but with Nahaylo.
'It's The Other Guy Who's Talking.....I Have Not Said a Word'
Eventually, the real McAdams cut in and asked why Shivshankar was yelling his name when he hadn't been able to get a word in.
"I'm not talking!" McAdams shouted. "It's the other guy who's talking! I haven't been able to say a word!..Dear host, I have not said a word yet. I don't know why you're yelling at me."
"I'm not yelling at you! I'm talking about Mr. McAdams!" Shivshankar said.
"I AM Mr. McAdams!" McAdams said, after which Shivshankar realized the mix-up and responded with a very meek "oh."
"Stop yelling at me!" McAdams finished, after which, Shivshankar corrected himself while saying "Sorry. I got that confused." Watch the video below:
In a statement to Clarion India's Zafar Aafaq, McAdams called the whole segment "a comedy of errors" and that he "could only hear the host yelling and screaming at the person he thought was me" during the unfortunate exchange.
"I was pretty pissed off yesterday about the whole thing, but with this clip you have sent to me I find it hilarious," he added.
