The 27 Most ‘WTF?!’ Things That Ever Happened On Live Television
"Lee Harvey Oswald's murder was on live TV. I imagine that was pretty crazy seeing Kennedy's assassin assassinated."
1. LEE HARVEY OSWALD’S MURDER
“Lee Harvey Oswald’s murder was on live TV. I imagine that was pretty crazy seeing Kennedy’s assassin assassinated.”
2. R. BUDD DWYER’S SUICIDE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVm88MX2Gw4
“He spent like an hour reading what was essentially a suicide letter to the press conference before brandishing a revolver. He told reporters that he didn’t want to harm anyone so they should leave the room if they have a weak stomach. Most panicked and left because they didn’t know what he was going to do, a few stayed, some tried to convince him to drop the gun. He warned them to stay back, backed up against the wall then put the gun in his mouth and shot himself with the cameras still rolling.
He clearly spent a lot of time orchestrating his public suicide.
It gets crazier because it wasn’t actually on live TV. Several local stations chose to air the footage hours after the event. Some cut it just before he pulled the trigger but others aired the full footage with all the gore.”
3. CRASH OF THE TWIN TOWERS
“The crash of the Twin Towers.”
4. LIVE SUICIDE ON FOX NEWS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nori7hXB9cQ
“It was Fox News and Shepard [Smith] knew what was coming and started yelling cut it cut it and when it happened I’m pretty sure he said god dammit and some sort of apology. I don’t doubt that while may be he wasn’t aware, but the behind the scenes guys were told to ignore him for the ratings.”
5. JAPANESE COMMUNIST STABBED TO DEATH
“The head of the Japanese Communist Party was stabbed to death during a live debate by a student with a katana.”
6. CHALLENGER EXPLOSION
“Prolly buried, but watching Challenger explode. I was 6, I will never forget my teacher diving to turn the tv off, none of understood what happened and why our teacher crying. RIP Ms Ackerman.”
7. MAN SHOOTS AND KILLS HIS SON’S RAPIST AT AN AIRPORT
“When Gary Plauche shot the man accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting his son while the man was in police custody being led through an airport. Plauche pled no contest to manslaughter and got sentenced to seven years suspended, with five years probation and 300 hours of community service; he never saw the inside of a prison cell.'”
8. MURDERER REALIZES HE FUCKED UP
“A murderer finding out that his victim’s body has been found, while giving an interview acting like a concerned neighbor. You can see the exact moment he realizes he fucked up.
Stephen McDaniel killed a coed, Lauren Giddings, who he had been stalking, and hid her body in the dumpster shortly before the garbage truck was supposed to arrive. However, by the time the truck arrived, the dumpster was blocked by a police vehicle, and her body was later found. McDaniel thought he had gotten away with murder and got on TV acting like a concerned neighbor. When the reporter says that a body had been recovered, his demeanor instantly changes and he starts a terrible crying act. He was sentenced to life in prison.”
9. THE L.A. RIOTS
“When I was a kid, watching the LA riots was weird. I thought it was an annual tradition and I wanted to go next year. Also that Hollywood bank robbery shoot out was pretty nuts.”
10. THE O.J. CAR CHASE
“The OJ car chase.”
11. DEATH OF TOMMY COOPER
“Comedian dies onstage, people laugh.”
12. REPORTER AND CAMERAMAN MURDERED
https://youtu.be/OP2PZ9DlA_g
“The murders of WDBJ news reporter Alison Parker and cameraman Adam Ward during a live newscast.”
13. SERIAL KILLER WINS DATING GAME
“Wasn’t there an episode of The Dating Game that had a serial killer as a contestant before he was exposed?
Edit: it was Rodney Alcala, pretty disturbing video.”
14. BALLOON BOY
“Guy said that his son crawled aboard a homemade hot air balloon (that looked like a big, silver UFO). National media followed it live for hours, law enforcement got involved, lots of people thought his son was genuinely inside the balloon. It was revealed later that his son was apparently ‘hiding’ in a closet the whole time, and the story fell apart from there. After the whole family went on a morning news show later, ‘balloon boy’ said, ‘You told us that we did it for a show,’ meaning a possible reality TV show. The parents knew they were busted and that the media and public had been duped by a family that lied to police and the press for attention.”
15. GLADBECK HOSTAGE CRISIS
“The Gladbeck hostage crisis comes to mind. In 1988 Germany, two guys robbed a bank and took hostages. The crisis lasted three days, during which two teenagers were killed. The bizarre part is this: “After having stopped in a pedestrian area in Cologne at 11:00am, the car was surrounded by media and shoppers. Some reporters offered to guide the abductors on their way or to hand them pictures of police officers to prevent trickery if hostages were exchanged. A reporter guided the abductors to a nearby rest area on an Autobahn and accompanied them for several kilometers.”
If you image search one of the victims, Silke Bischoff, you will see one of the offenders giving interviews while holding a gun to her head in the car. It’s incredibly fucked up to look at a young woman fearing for her life while reporters are cooperating with her killers to get the best story.”
16. FAMILY CRASHES DAD’S SKYPE INTERVIEW
“Toddler, baby and mum crashing that dude’s Skype interview.”
17. LIVE PAINTED ASSHOLE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTis-sF_YOk
“Showing the asshole of someone.”
18. SUICIDE AT THE HAGUE
“Suicide in a live broadcast from Den Haag.”
18. REPORTER SAYS, ‘FUCK IT, I QUIT’
“The reporter on the Alaska TV news that said ‘Fuck it, I quit’ then turned around and left.”
20. PARACHUTIST LANDS IN BOXING RING, IS BEATEN
“When that guy crashed into the boxing ring and the crowd pulled him out and beat the hell outta him.”
21. CAR ACCIDENT DURING LIVE REMOTE
“A car accident during a live remote on the news.”
22. PORN DURING THE SUPER BOWL
“During the Cardinals/Steelers Super Bowl someone highjacked the local signal to air unedited porn of some dude waving his massive dong in a girls face for half a minute in Tucson. Was pretty crazy to see live.
23. FRENCH SINGER TELLS WHITNEY HOUSTON HE WANTS TO FUCK HER
“Serge Gainsbourg told Whitney Houston he wanted to fuck her.”
24. SOUPY & THE STRIPPER
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6f3uN2vVak
“I’m gonna go with Soupy Sales and the stripper. [NSFW]”
25. REPORTER HAS STROKE
“‘Well, a very very heaveh, uh, heavy deh..burtation tonight. We have a very ders-derison, but let’s go’head teret-tayson losh the bet the head the pet.'”
26. L.A. FREEWAY SUICIDE
“This video of a guy blowing his brains out on an LA freeway in 1998.”
27. THE MAX HEADROOM INCIDENT
“Probably the Max Headroom hijacking, I would’ve been shook if I was just relaxing, watching an episode of Doctor Who then this happens:”
