When a man flirts with another man, one of three things can happen: Everyone laughs it off, knowing it doesn’t mean anything. The situation ends in bed or marriage. Or, one of the men gets completely and utterly freaked out.
That last option is what happened to BuzzFeed editor-in-chief Ben Smith, who appeared on an Australian talk show called “The Buzz” and had one of the most uncomfortable and awkward TV moments of the year. As some may recall, back in January, Smith scored rather highly on the site’s “Gay or Straight” quiz, causing Saeed Jones, the LGBT editor, to have some fun with his boss on Twitter.
Smith, who is married to a woman with two small children, wasn’t really having it. He retweeted the findings (which either found him 75 percent or 62 percent gay depending on how you read the needle) with a single word: “Um.” When The Mirror asked if he had any further reaction, he said he had no other reaction other than “um.”
Part way through the Aussie talk show, the host seemed to majorly foreshadow that something off-the-wall was about to happen.
“So what can we do right now that could go viral?” the flamboyant interviewer asked Smith.
Smith replied with equally astounding foreshadowing: “I think you have to truly embarrass yourself. Pretty much the only way.”
At the close of the interview, the host, after kissing Smith’s ass throughout much of the three-minute hit, wrapped things up by saying he hoped that BuzzFeed never investigates anything they do on their show.
“That makes me curious,” said Smith.
The host replied suggestively, “Curious...”
Smith laughed awkwardly.
“Love ya…” the host told Smith, slapping him playfully on his knee.
Smith could not have looked more ill at ease. “Alriiiiight,” he replied.
“Love ya!” the host repeated, eyeing him like a piece of meat.
“Wow,” said Smith.
“Love ya!” the host said again, raising his eyebrows up and down.
Smith was beside himself.
He looked to the crew for emotional help, asking, “Wow. Is he always like this?”
Watch here. The fun starts at the 2:53 mark.
Even BuzzFeed was worried about its own editor today. As evidenced by this:
And Saeed Jones, when he could come up for air, remarked, “I mean, laughing WITH @BuzzFeedBen, my employer who is perfect in every way.”