An Australian foreign correspondent was warmly welcomed to Moldova when an unidentified woman approached him mid-broadcast and kissed him.
JohnPaul Gonzo, a European correspondent based in London for the Australian outlet 10 News Now, was delivering a segment from the Moldovan capital of Chisinau on Feb. 21 when a blonde passer-by left him a little speechless. Standing before the Saint Theodora of Sihla’s Church, Gonzo was delivering a line regarding a United States promise of $500 million military aid to Ukraine when a woman approached, stepped into the camera frame and kissed him on the cheek.
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A video shows news reporter JohnPaul Gonzo standing in front of Saint Theodora of Sihla’s Church in the Moldovan capital of Chisinau when an unidentified woman suddenly walked into the camera’s frame and kissed Gonzo’s cheek, much to his surprise pic.twitter.com/GVcSrrZtvO
— Reuters (@Reuters) February 23, 2023
As the woman left, she turned back to Gonzo and declared, “You’re cute,” before waving at the camera crew with a smile and leaving the scene.
“Certainly wasn’t expecting this interruption mid looklive,” Gonzo tweeted of the interaction.
“I wondered what he thought was going to happen as she approached him. The pause/hesitation to continue with his report was epic. The effect of that kiss on the cheek! Was he lost for words or lost in thoughts?” one user observed of the interaction.
Other users teased Gonzo over the interaction, calling him “Mr. Worldwide,” and asking him if he ever found out who the woman was.
While some found humor and light-heartedness in the kiss, others pointed out that if the gender roles were reversed the kiss would have been considered predatory. (RELATED: Edith Shain, Nurse Kissing Sailor In Famous V-J Photo, Dies In Los Angeles At 91)
“I hate to be this person, but there is a double standard here. If a male passer-by does this to a female presenter, it’s (rightly) sexual assault,” one user tweeted.
“Imagine a man doing that to a female presenter,” another user wrote.
“A mate of mine did that to a female TV presenter once. How we all laughed. He’s now under a restraining order…,” wrote another.
Gonzo seems to take the kiss in stride, though, smiling and blushing over the incident before doubling over in laughter. “You good boss?” he asked before finishing his segment.