A hot mic, sometimes referred to as an open microphone or (in

aviation Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' includes airplane, fixed-wing and helicopter, rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as aerostat, lighter- ...

) a stuck mic, is in general an apparent error in which a

microphone A microphone, colloquially called a mic or mike (), is a transducer that converts sound into an electrical signal. Microphones are used in many applications such as telephones, hearing aids, public address systems for concert halls and publ ...

is switched on or remains on, especially without the speaker's realizing. As used in online gaming, the term "hot mic" refers to when a player's microphone is heard being constantly on. It is also used as a call-out, "Hot mic!" to encourage all players to check their microphone settings. A special case of hot mic is the microphone gaffe, in which the microphone is actively collecting and transmitting sound gathered near a subject who is unaware that their remarks are being transmitted and recorded, allowing unintended listeners to hear parts of conversations not intended for public consumption. Such errors usually involve live broadcasting in radio or television, and sometimes material is recorded and played back via media outlets. Such events can cause embarrassment for the person or organization involved, sometimes resulting in serious confrontations and employment termination.

Noted occurrences of microphone gaffes

Television broadcasts

*In 1999, during a cricket test match between

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

and

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

, Australian Scott Muller misfielded a ball and a voice was heard saying, "Can't

bowl A bowl is a typically round dish or container generally used for preparing, serving, or consuming food. The interior of a bowl is characteristically shaped like a spherical cap, with the edges and the bottom forming a seamless curve. This makes ...

, can't throw." Teammate

Shane Warne Shane Keith Warne (13 September 1969 – 4 March 2022) was an Australian international cricketer, whose career ran from 1991 to 2007. Warne played as a right-arm leg spin bowler and a right-handed batsman for Victoria, Hampshire and Australi ...

was suspected, but a cameraman confessed. *On 22 June 2000, Australian newsreader

Marie-Louise Theile Marie-Louise Theile (born 1966) is a former Australian news presenter. She presented '' Ten News at Five'' in Brisbane and Melbourne. She is currently the Director of New Initiative - a niche branding, marketing and place making creative agency ...

was recorded as calling her husband an "arsehole" during what she thought was a commercial break on '' Ten News'' in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

. *During television coverage of the

2000 Canadian federal election The 2000 Canadian federal election was held on November 27, 2000, to elect members to the House of Commons of Canada of the 37th Parliament of Canada. Prime Minister Jean Chrétien's Liberal Party of Canada, Liberal Party won a third majority ...

, a CBC Television producer covering Stockwell Day's campaign was heard on-air making a gratuitous comment about the breasts of Juliana Thiessen Day, candidate Day's daughter-in-law. His words were cut off mid-sentence: "This is Logan Day's wife. I've never met her, but apparently she's got tits that'd stop a—" The producer was forced to apologize. *After a defeat for

Chelsea F.C. Chelsea Football Club is an English professional football club based in Fulham, West London. Founded in 1905, they play their home games at Stamford Bridge. The club competes in the Premier League, the top division of English football ...

in April 2004, former British football manager and commentator

Ron Atkinson Ronald Frederick Atkinson (born 18 March 1939), commonly known as "Big Ron" or "Mr. Bojangles", is an English former football player and manager. In the 1990s and early 2000s, he was regarded as one of Britain's best-known football pundits. Nic ...

said of Chelsea defender

Marcel Desailly Marcel Desailly (born Odenke Abbey; 7 September 1968) is a French former professional footballer, widely considered to be among the greatest centre-backs and defensive midfielders to ever play football. During a successful career at club level, l ...

: "He is what is known in some schools as a fucking lazy thick nigger." The microphone was open to some countries in the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...

, with UK broadcasts having already finished. Atkinson was forced to resign his position at ITV and left his role as a columnist at ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' by mutual agreement.Webster, Nick. Mirror.co.uk. 18 July 2006.
Oops! More gaffes you weren't meant to hear
" Accessed 20 August 2006. *In September 2005, during a filming of ''

Access Hollywood ''Access Hollywood'', formerly known as ''Access'' from 2017 to 2019, is an American weekday television entertainment news program that premiered on September 9, 1996. It covers events and celebrities in the entertainment industry. It was create ...

'',

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

and

Billy Bush William Hall Bush (born October 13, 1971) is an American radio and television host. He is a member of the Bush family, a nephew of President George H. W. Bush and cousin of President George W. Bush and Florida governor Jeb Bush. After appearin ...

had " an extremely lewd conversation about women" where Trump said "when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything ... grab them by the pussy". When ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' broke the story during the

2016 presidential election This national electoral calendar for 2016 lists the national/ federal elections held in 2016 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *7 January: Kiri ...

, in which Trump was the

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

nominee, several dozen Republicans renounced their support of Trump. *A series of technical problems on 9 March 2006 forced

ESPN2 ESPN2 is an American multinational pay television network owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company (which owns a controlling 80% stake) and Hearst Communications (which owns the remaining 20%). ESPN2 was initially fo ...

to switch from its '' SportsCenter'' broadcast to that of ''

ESPNews ESPNews (pronounced "ESPN News", stylized ESPNEWS) is an American multinational digital cable and satellite television network owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between the Disney Media Networks division of The Walt Disney Company (which owns ...

''. Caught unprepared by the move, ''ESPNews'' broadcaster Danyelle Sargent struggled for words, forcing fellow anchor Robert Flores to finish her sentence. After the broadcast cut to taped footage, Sargent was heard exclaiming "What the fuck was that?" *On 8 August 2006, Network Ten sports commentator Dean Jones said "the terrorist has got another wicket" when Proteas fielder

Hashim Amla Hashim Mahomed Amla OIS (born 31 March 1983) is a South African former international cricketer who played for South Africa in all three formats of the game. Amla holds the record for being the fastest ever to score 2000, 3000, 4000, 5000, 6000 ...

(the first player from a Muslim background to play

test cricket Test cricket is a form of first-class cricket played at international level between teams representing full member countries of the International Cricket Council (ICC). A match consists of four innings (two per team) and is scheduled to last f ...

for South Africa) caught

Kumar Sangakkara Kumara Chokshananda Sangakkara ( si, කුමාර් චොක්ශනාද සංගක්කාර; born 27 October 1977) is a Sri Lankan cricket commentator, former professional cricketer, businessman, ICC Hall of Fame inductee and the ...

during a match between South Africa and Sri Lanka. Jones claimed he thought the microphone was off and made prompt formal apologies, but was dismissed from his post. *On 29 August 2006, U.S. news channel

CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...

was broadcasting a live Hurricane Katrina anniversary speech from President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

when the microphone of anchor Kyra Phillips was left on. Around 90 seconds of her casual conversation with another woman was broadcast over CNN's coverage of Bush's speech. During the conversation she discussed her husband, whom she called "a really passionate, compassionate, great, great human being," and her sister-in-law, whom she called a "control freak." CNN apologized to viewers and the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...

. *In August 2007, Australian journalist Kerry O'Brien, presenter of the

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-own ...

's '' The 7.30 Report'', was recorded criticising his production staff for a mishap with the

teleprompter A teleprompter, also known as an autocue, is a display device that prompts the person speaking with an electronic visual text of a speech or script. Using a teleprompter is similar to using cue cards. The screen is in front of, and usually be ...

while a story was running. *On 12 May 2008, as a live news teaser was played,

Sue Simmons Sue Simmons (born May 27, 1942) is an American retired news anchor who was best known for being the lead female anchor at WNBC in New York City from 1980 to 2012. Her contract with WNBC expired in June 2012 and WNBC announced that it would not ren ...

was reportedly heard angrily exclaiming to a co-worker (later revealed to be

Chuck Scarborough Charles Bishop Scarborough III (born November 4, 1943) is an American television journalist and author. Since 1974, he has been the lead news anchor at WNBC, the New York City flagship station of the NBC Television Network, and has also appeared ...

), "What the fuck are you doing?" She later apologized on-air for her inappropriate language. Simmons has said she was attempting to get the attention of Scarborough, who was preoccupied with his computer, but did not realize her microphone was still on. *On 14 August 2008, actor

Ernest Borgnine Ernest Borgnine (; born Ermes Effron Borgnino; January 24, 1917 – July 8, 2012) was an American actor whose career spanned over six decades. He was noted for his gruff but relaxed voice and gap-toothed Cheshire Cat grin. A popular perfor ...

was interviewed on

Fox News The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is owne ...

when he was asked about the secret to his longevity. Laughingly Borgnine responded "I don't dare tell you," but then leaned over to whisper into the ear of his interviewer, but the whisper was caught by the microphone; "I masturbate a lot." *On 2 March 2009, footage of Dutch news anchor

Eva Jinek Eva Jinek (born 13 July 1978) is a Dutch American journalist and television presenter. Biography Jinek was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma and grew up in Washington, D.C., where she attended Sheridan School.cleavage) right before a broadcast, while muttering and shouting mild curses in both English and Dutch, was accidentally leaked to and spread on the Internet. She exclaims "Yeah, boobies!" at one point, continuing with, "Mother of God. Yeah, if you have it, flaunt it!" and citing her mother who might tell her: "I can see your breasts!" She responded the next day, saying she was not annoyed nor embarrassed by the leaked video. *Veteran

Sky Sports Sky Sports is a group of British subscription sports channels operated by the satellite pay television company Sky Group (a division of Comcast), and is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It ...

presenters

Richard Keys Richard Keys (born 23 April 1957) is an English sports presenter who has worked for BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Sky, Talksport, Al Jazeera, Fox Sports, ESPN Star Sports , BeIN Sports; and has presented many top-level football matches. Career ...

and Andy Gray made remarks that a female referee would not understand the complex offside football rule. This controversy led to Gray being fired and Keys resigning. *During a National Football League (NFL) game on 18 December 2011,

St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994. The arr ...

offensive lineman Harvey Dahl was assessed a penalty for holding, prompting him to exclaim, "I know you didn't call me for holding! That's not fucking holding!" The remark was picked up by the open microphone of official

Jerome Boger Jerome Leonard Boger ( ; born July 1, 1955) is an American football official in the National Football League (NFL) since the 2004 NFL season. He has worn uniform number 23 since 2006; before that, he wore uniform number 109. He started in the le ...

as he was announcing the holding penalty, and was heard by the stadium and the television audience. Dahl was given an additional penalty for

unsportsmanlike conduct Unsportsmanlike conduct (also called untrustworthy behaviour or ungentlemanly fraudulent or bad sportsmanship or poor sportsmanship or anti fair-play) is a foul or offense in many sports that violates the sport's generally accepted rules of sport ...

, but was not fined by the league. *During an NFL game between the Miami Dolphins and Indianapolis Colts in 2012, during a play that produced a penalty flag, referee Tony Corrente was heard over the loudspeakers of Lucas Oil Stadium saying to a fellow official "that was goddammit!", leading to play-by-play announcer Kevin Harlan making a public apology on-air, saying "he didn't know his microphone was on." *After the ABC's 2014 New Year's Eve telecast of the Sydney fireworks had finished, host

Julia Zemiro Julia Zemiro () (born 14 April 1967) is a French-born Australian television presenter, radio host, actress, singer, writer and comedian. She is best known as the host of the music quiz and live performance show '' RocKwiz''. Zemiro is a fluent ...

was caught saying "Oh, thank God". *During a telecast of the 2016 Summer Olympics, CBC commentator Byron MacDonald was caught making an off-hand remark to a colleague discussing the result of the women's 4 × 200 m freestyle swimming relay, stating that a Chinese swimmer "went out like stink, nddied like a pig." MacDonald and the CBC apologized for the incident. *In 2020 during a game between the Cincinnati Reds and Kansas City Royals, American broadcaster

Thom Brennaman Thomas Wade Brennaman (born September 12, 1963) is an American television sportscaster. He is the son of former Cincinnati Reds radio sportscaster Marty Brennaman. Broadcasting career After graduating in 1982 from Cincinnati's Anderson High Sc ...

was caught on air calling an unidentified city (which was later revealed to be about

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

) "one of the fag capitals of the world." Brennaman apologized on-air and left the broadcast in the middle of the second game of the doubleheader; Jim Day provided commentary after the top of the fifth inning; Brennaman was suspended after the game's end. *On January 12, 2022, a leaked

Seven News ''7NEWS'' is the television news service of the Seven Network and, as of 2021, the highest-rating in Australia. National bulletins are presented from Seven's high definition studios in Martin Place, Sydney, while flagship 6pm bulletins are ...

video showed Australian TV presenter

Rebecca Maddern Rebecca Maddern (born 6 August 1977) is an Australian television presenter and journalist. Maddern is currently weekend presenter of ''Seven News Melbourne'' with Mike Amor and presents ''Seven Afternoon News'' in Melbourne. She has worked a ...

saying that "Whatever way you look at it,

Novak Djokovic Novak Djokovic ( sr-Cyrl, Новак Ђоковић, translit=Novak Đoković, ; born 22 May 1987) is a Serbian professional tennis player. He has been ranked world No. 1 for a record total 373 weeks, and has finished as the year-end No. 1 ...

is a lying, sneaky, asshole. He got a bullshit fucking excuse and then fell over his own fucking lies" in relation to the 2022 Australian open vaccine and visa controversy. *On October 19, 2022, during a live broadcast of an episode of ''What Does It Mean'' on Russian news channel RBC-TV, a defense expert

Ruslan Pukhov Ruslan Nikolayevich Pukhov (russian: Руслан Николаевич Пухов) is a Russian defence analyst and director of the Moscow-based Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies (CAST). In addition to his role at CAST, since 2007 ...

told to TV host that “Everyone knows they ronesare from Iran but the government doesn’t admit that” even before being asked for commenting on official Russian authorities' denial of the Iranian origin of the

Shahed 136 The HESA Shahed 136 ( fa, شاهد ۱۳۶, literally "Witness-136"), or Geran-2 in Russian service, is an Iranian loitering munition in the form of an autonomous pusher-prop drone. It is designed and manufactured by Shahed Aviation Industries ...

UCAVs used in Russian attacks on Ukrainian territory during

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. ...

. Pukhov also used a catchphrase "the arse exists, but the word doesn't!" from a famous Russian joke to emphasize the absurdity of this situation.

Political

*At the height of the Cold War in 1984, U.S. President Ronald Reagan was about to appear on a radio interview and, as a

soundcheck A sound check is the preparation that takes place before a concert, speech, or similar performance to adjust the sound on the venue's sound reinforcement or public address system. The performer and the audio engineers run through a small p ...

, said "My fellow Americans, I'm pleased to tell you today that I've signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes." The comment, while not actually broadcast, did eventually spread via rumor around the world. The moment was even acknowledged by the Soviet government, who expressed their contempt at the joke. *On 16 February 1993, U.S. President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

snapped at an aide "Listen, goddamn it. Come here. You can't do that. You can't take me out here with a mayor and a congresswoman and push them back" after a member of his staff tried to prevent Mayor

Sharon Pratt Kelly Sharon Pratt (born January 30, 1944), formerly Sharon Pratt Dixon and Sharon Pratt Kelly, is an American attorney and politician who was the third mayor of the District of Columbia from 1991 to 1995, the first mayor born in the District of Colum ...

and Congresswoman

Eleanor Holmes Norton Eleanor Holmes Norton (born June 13, 1937) is an American lawyer and politician serving as a delegate to the United States House of Representatives, representing the District of Columbia since 1991. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Ea ...

from joining the President walking to a porch for a photo opportunity with construction workers. *In 1993

British Prime Minister The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As moder ...

John Major, after an interview with ITN political editor Michael Brunson, forgot about the recording equipment. He said it was pointless expelling Eurosceptic Cabinet members as "we don't want another three more of the bastards out there."BBC News. 29 January 2001
"Curse of the open mic"
/ref> *Following the 1994 State of the Union Address, Ohio Congressman

Martin Hoke Martin R. Hoke (born May 18, 1952) is an American Republican politician, former member of the Ohio Casino Control Commission, and former member of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio. Biography Hoke was born in Lakewood, Ohio, a ...

was preparing to be interviewed for a live broadcast for a local

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

television station. After being outfitted with a microphone by a female producer, Hoke remarked to another congressman that "She's got ze beega breasts" in a mock

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

accent. Although not broadcast live, the remark was recorded and was the subject of a report by ''

'' the following day. *In 1997,

Prime Minister of Canada The prime minister of Canada (french: premier ministre du Canada, link=no) is the head of government of Canada. Under the Westminster system, the prime minister governs with the confidence of a majority the elected House of Commons; as su ...

Jean Chretien Jean may refer to: People * Jean (female given name) * Jean (male given name) * Jean (surname) Fictional characters * Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character * Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations * J ...

was overheard at a

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

summit in Madrid while talking with his counterparts from Belgium and Luxembourg saying that U.S. politicians would all be in jail if they worked in Canada or elsewhere, as they all sold their votes. * Just before a campaign speech during his 2000 presidential campaign, George W. Bush described ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' reporter Adam Clymer as a "major league asshole" to his running mate Dick Cheney, whose response ("big time") was also audible. The media reaction was intense, with news stations repeatedly broadcasting it and the ''

New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com. It was established ...

'' running two pages about the incident. Bush said of the incident: "I regret that a private comment I made to the vice-presidential candidate made it onto the public airwaves. I regret everybody heard what I said." *During a televised debate between U.S. presidential candidates George W. Bush and

Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. Gore was the Democratic no ...

during the 2000 presidential campaign, Gore's sighs (in response to some of Bush's statements) were heard through Gore's live microphone. In regard to the incident, Gore was quoted as saying "Both the governor and I have learned lessons about when the microphone is on, and when it's off." *On 11 March 2004, following a satellite address to the

AFL–CIO The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL–CIO) is the largest federation of unions in the United States. It is made up of 56 national and international unions, together representing more than 12 million ac ...

, U.S. presidential candidate

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who currently serves as the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of the Forbes family and the Democratic Party, he ...

turned to one of the Union workers he was standing near and said "Oh yeah, don't worry man. We're going to keep pounding, let me tell you—we're just beginning to fight here. These guys are the most crooked, you know, lying group of people I've ever seen." Although being removed by an assistant at the time, Kerry's microphone was still live and captured his statement. His words were presumed to be directed at his political rivals, the U.S. Republican Party and U.S. President George W. Bush. Kerry spokesman David Wade later claimed that Kerry was indeed aware that his microphone was recording and was not referring to Republicans in general but to their use of "crooked, deceitful, personal attacks over the last four years." *In 2005, French President Jacques Chirac was heard criticizing British cuisine to Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, saying "The only thing that they have ever done for European agriculture is mad cow disease" and "You can't trust people who cook as badly as that." He was also heard criticizing

haggis Haggis ( gd, taigeis) is a savoury pudding containing sheep's pluck (heart, liver, and lungs), minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, mixed with stock, and cooked while traditionally encased in the animal's stomach though n ...

, saying "that's where our problems with Nato come from", and that British food was the second worst "after Finland". *On 1 July 2006 a technician did not turn off the audio feed during a closed-door lunch between

U.S. Secretary of State The United States secretary of state is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State. The office holder is one of the highest ranking members of the president's Ca ...

Condoleezza Rice and

Russian Foreign Minister The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation is a high-ranking Russian government official who heads the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. The foreign minister is one of the five so-called 'presidential' minist ...

Sergei Lavrov amongst others. Journalists, on listening to the 20-minute broadcast, referred to the conversation as "bickering" about the

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...

i aid programme. *On 17 July 2006 a private conversation, afterwards known as "

Yo, Blair "Yo, Blair, what are you doing?" was an informal greeting reportedly made by United States President George W. Bush to British Prime Minister Tony Blair during the summit of the Group of Eight industrialized nations ( G8) in St Petersburg, Russia ...

", between U.S. President

and British Prime Minister

Tony Blair Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He previously served as Leader of th ...

at the G8 Summit in

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

was picked up by a nearby microphone. Bush told Blair he hoped the UN would "get Syria to get Hezbollah to stop doing this shit" (referring to Syria's influence over and support of Hezbollah in the 2006 conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon), and that by doing so, the crisis would be over. This was reaffirmed by the suggestion to "get Kofi nnanon the phone with

ashar Ashar (Modern Turkish: ''Öşür'' or ''Aşar'' ) was a tax in the Ottoman Empire, based on the traditional practice of muqasama (which means "sharing"), a traditional tithe in the Fertile Crescent. It was abolished on 17 February 1925 in Turkey t ...

Assad and make something happen." He also stated that Condoleezza Rice would visit the area. *On 19 October 2006 during an official meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

, Russian President

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...

was overheard praising Israeli President

Moshe Katsav Moshe Katsav ( he, מֹשֶׁה קַצָּב; born 5 December 1945) is an Israeli former politician who was the eighth President of Israel from 2000 to 2007. He was also a leading Likud member of the Israeli Knesset and a minister in its cabine ...

for raping ten employees of his office. *Before a Fox News interview on 6 July 2008, a live microphone picked up Jesse Jackson whispering to a fellow guest: "See, Barack's been, ah, talking down to black people on this faith-based. ... I want to cut his nuts out. ... Barack, he's talking down to black people" in an apparent response to Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's recent speeches on values. *In March 2010, Joe Biden described the

Affordable Care Act The Affordable Care Act (ACA), formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and colloquially known as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by Pres ...

as "a big fucking deal" to President Obama, which was picked up by the microphones. *On 28 April 2010 British Prime Minister

Gordon Brown James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in Tony B ...

was caught on microphone describing an encounter with a female voter as a "disaster" and called her a "bigoted woman". *In June 2010, US Republican Senate nominee from

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

Carly Fiorina Cara Carleton "Carly" Fiorina (''née'' Sneed; born September 6, 1954) is an American businesswoman and politician, known primarily for her tenure as CEO of Hewlett-Packard (HP). As chief executive officer of HP from 1999 to 2005, Fiorina was ...

criticised the hair of her Democratic opponent, Barbara Boxer when she did not realise her microphone was on during an interview for

. There was popular question as to whether this was staged as an attempt to undermine respect for Boxer, or whether it was an honest mistake. *On 8 November 2011 a private conversation between French President Nicolas Sarkozy and U.S. President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...

was overheard criticizing Israeli Prime Minister

Benjamin Netanyahu Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu (; ; born 21 October 1949) is an Israeli politician who served as the ninth prime minister of Israel from 1996 to 1999 and again from 2009 to 2021. He is currently serving as Leader of the Opposition and Chairman of ...

. Sarkozy branded Netanyahu as a 'liar' and Obama expressed his displeasure with having to deal with Netanyahu on a regular basis. *On 26 March 2012 at the tail end of his 90-minute meeting with the outgoing Russian President

Dmitri Medvedev Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev ( rus, links=no, Дмитрий Анатольевич Медведев, p=ˈdmʲitrʲɪj ɐnɐˈtolʲjɪvʲɪtɕ mʲɪdˈvʲedʲɪf; born 14 September 1965) is a Russian politician who has been serving as the dep ...

, President Obama said that he would have "more flexibility" to deal with controversial issues such as missile defense. He was heard telling Medvedev, "On all these issues, but particularly missile defense, this, this can be solved but it's important for him to give me space." Medvedev told the president in English, "Yeah, I understand. I understand your message about space. Space for you…" and President Obama continued his statement with, "This is my last election. After my election I have more flexibility." Medvedev responded saying, again in English, "I understand. I will transmit this information to

Vladimir Vladimir may refer to: Names * Vladimir (name) for the Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Macedonian, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak and Slovenian spellings of a Slavic name * Uladzimir for the Belarusian version of the name * Volodymyr for the Ukr ...

." (See also the US missile defense complex in Poland.) *On 11 September 2015, Australian immigration minister

Peter Dutton Peter Craig Dutton (born 18 November 1970) is an Australian politician who has been leader of the opposition and leader of the Liberal Party since May 2022. He has represented the Queensland seat of Dickson in the House of Representatives sinc ...

shared a joke with Prime Minister

Tony Abbott Anthony John Abbott (; born 4 November 1957) is a former Australian politician who served as the 28th prime minister of Australia from 2013 to 2015. He held office as the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia. Abbott was born in Londo ...

, referring to a late meeting as running to " Cape York time", and when Abbott replied that "We had a bit of that up in

Port Moresby (; Tok Pisin: ''Pot Mosbi''), also referred to as Pom City or simply Moresby, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea. It is one of the largest cities in the southwestern Pacific (along with Jayapura) outside of Australia and New ...

.", Dutton responded with "Time doesn't mean anything when you're about to have water lapping at your door."—a reference to

sea level rise Globally, sea levels are rising due to human-caused climate change. Between 1901 and 2018, the globally averaged sea level rose by , or 1–2 mm per year on average.IPCC, 2019Summary for Policymakers InIPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cry ...

in the Pacific islands. Social services minister

Scott Morrison Scott John Morrison (; born 13 May 1968) is an Australian politician. He served as the 30th prime minister of Australia and as Leader of the Liberal Party of Australia from 2018 to 2022, and is currently the member of parliament (MP) for th ...

then drew their attention to the boom microphone above their heads. *On 25 July 2017, following a United States Senate Appropriations subcommittee meeting, Maine Senator

Susan Collins Susan Margaret Collins (born December 7, 1952) is an American politician serving as the senior United States senator from Maine. A member of the Republican Party, she has held her seat since 1997 and is Maine's longest-serving member of Con ...

was caught making disparaging statements about Texas Congressman Blake Farenthold. Collins, talking to Rhode Island Senator Jack Reed, asks him if he heard about Farenthold wanting to challenge her to a duel. Reed asserts that the congressman did so because Collins "could beat the shit out of him." She then goes on to call Farenthold a "fat guy, he huge" and "so unattractive, it's unbelievable" and references a photo of the congressman at a costume party in pajamas next to a "

Playboy bunny A Playboy Bunny is a waitress who works at a Playboy Club and selected through standardized training. Their costumes were made up of lingerie, inspired by the tuxedo-wearing Playboy rabbit mascot. This costume consisted of a strapless corset te ...

." Farenthold had previously apologized to Collins for his comments about Collins, and the senator, in turn, apologized to Farenthold for hers. *On 2 June 2020, while asking Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. if he could speak at a news conference, New York Representative

Eliot Engel Eliot Lance Engel (; born February 18, 1947) is an American politician who served as a U.S. representative from New York from 1989 to 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he represented a district covering portions of the north Bronx and s ...

was caught telling Diaz that "if I didn't have a primary, I wouldn't care" about speaking at the event. The comments were criticized by Engel's primary opponent,

Jamaal Bowman Jamaal Anthony Bowman (born April 1, 1976) is an American politician and educator serving as the U.S. representative for since 2021. The district covers much of the north Bronx, as well as the southern half of Westchester County, including Mou ...

. Bowman later defeated Engel in the primary election. *On 21 August 2020, at a virtual Senate hearing about the

2020 United States Postal Service crisis The 2020-2021 United States Postal Service crisis was a series of events that caused backlogs and delays in the delivery of mail by the United States Postal Service (USPS). The crisis stems primarily from changes implemented by Postmaster Genera ...

, Senator

Tom Carper Thomas Richard Carper (born January 23, 1947) is an American politician and former military officer serving as the senior United States senator from Delaware, having held the seat since 2001. A member of the Democratic Party, Carper served i ...

, apparently speaking to an aide, said "fuck, fuck, fuck," while his microphone was unmuted. *On 14 September 2021, during a session in the Parliament of Singapore where

free trade agreement A free-trade agreement (FTA) or treaty is an agreement according to international law to form a free-trade area between the cooperating states. There are two types of trade agreements: bilateral and multilateral. Bilateral trade agreements occ ...

s and CECA were being debated, the

Minister for Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...

Vivian Balakrishnan Vivian Balakrishnan ( ta, விவியன் பாலகிருஷ்ணன்; born 1961) is a Singaporean politician, diplomat and former ophthalmologist who has been serving in the Cabinet as Minister for Foreign Affairs since 2015. A m ...

was caught referring to

Non-constituency Member of Parliament A Non-constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) is a member of an opposition political party in Singapore who, according to the Constitution and Parliamentary Elections Act, is declared to have been elected a Member of Parliament (MP) without c ...

Leong Mun Wai as "illiterate" in a private conversation with his colleagues. Balakrishnan also questioned how Leong was able to enter

Raffles Institution Raffles Institution (RI) is an independent educational institution in Singapore. Founded in 1823, it is the oldest school in the country. It provides secondary education for boys only from Year 1 to Year 4, and pre-university education for both ...

. Balakrishnan subsequently apologised to Leong in private for the remarks. * On 16 September 2021, during a session in the Brazilian lower house of Congress, federal deputy Igor Timo called the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Arthur Lira, a "son of a bitch". Attending the session remotely, and not realizing his microphone was recording, deputy Igor said "He won't let me speak again. What a son of a bitch." After the president asked who said that, deputy Igor went on to congratulate a fellow deputy for her work. * On August 9 2022, following a

hustings A husting originally referred to a native Germanic governing assembly, the thing. By metonymy, the term may now refer to any event (such as debates or speeches) during an election campaign where one or more of the candidates are present. Devel ...

event being held during the UK Conservative Party leadership election, candidate

Liz Truss Mary Elizabeth Truss (born 26 July 1975) is a British politician who briefly served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from September to October 2022. On her fiftieth day in office, she stepped down ...

and host

Tom Newton Dunn Thomas Zoltan Newton Dunn (born 16 December 1973), known as Tom Newton Dunn, is an English broadcast journalist and former newspaper journalist. he presents The News Desk, an evening news programme on talkTV. He was the political editor of ...

were both picked up on their microphones, with Truss apologising for attacking the media during the event, and Newton Dunn replying with "it's cheap, and you know it". * In September 2022,

president of South Korea The president of the Republic of Korea (), also known as the president of South Korea (often abbreviated to POTROK or POSK; ), is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Korea. The president leads the State Council, and is ...

Yoon Suk-yeol Yoon Suk-yeol (; born 18 December 1960) is a South Korean politician, former public prosecutor and lawyer who has been serving as the 13th and current president of South Korea since 2022. Prior to his presidency, he served as the prosecutor ...

was caught on a hot mic allegedly calling members of the

US Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washin ...

"idiots" during a conversation about US President Joe Biden's plans to increase the American contribution to the

Global Fund The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (or simply the Global Fund) is an international financing and partnership organization that aims to "attract, leverage and invest additional resources to end the epidemics of HIV/AIDS, t ...

, a move which would require Congressional approval. A presidential spokeswoman denied that Yoon had made any reference to either Biden or the US Congress and that he was instead discussing South Korea's

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the rep ...

. * In December 2022,

Prime Minister of New Zealand The prime minister of New Zealand ( mi, Te pirimia o Aotearoa) is the head of government of New Zealand. The prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, leader of the New Zealand Labour Party, took office on 26 October 2017. The prime minister (inform ...

Jacinda Ardern Jacinda Kate Laurell Ardern ( ; born 26 July 1980) is a New Zealand politician who has been serving as the 40th prime minister of New Zealand and leader of the Labour Party since 2017. A member of the Labour Party, she has been the member of ...

was caught on a live microphone calling

ACT New Zealand ACT New Zealand, known simply as ACT (), is a right-wing, classical-liberal political party in New Zealand. According to former party leader Rodney Hide, ACT's values are "individual freedom, personal responsibility, doing the best for our natur ...

leader David Seymour "such an arrogant prick" after answering a question he had asked during a session of Parliament. Ardern's office later stated that she apologised to Seymour.

Other

* In the 1957 film, '' A Face in the Crowd'', to destroy Larry "Lonesome" Rhodes, played by

Andy Griffith Andy Samuel Griffith (June 1, 1926 – July 3, 2012) was an American actor, comedian, television producer, southern gospel singer and writer whose career spanned seven decades in music and television. Known for his Southern drawl, his character ...

, Marcia Jeffries, played by

Patricia Neal Patricia Neal (born Patsy Louise Neal, January 20, 1926 – August 8, 2010) was an American actress of stage and screen. A major star of the 1950s and 1960s, she was the recipient of an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Tony Award, and two ...

activates a live microphone over the end credits of his TV show that reveals Rhodes contemptuously mocking Fuller and the station's "idiot" viewers. His popularity and the show's ratings plummet, people were shocked and turned their backs on him, and the advertisers cancel their sponsorships, as Rhodes descends in an elevator to the ground floor. * Britney Spears, about to go out in front of her largest ever concert audience in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a ...

in 2001, allegedly complained about the organization of her entourage, saying, "Don't tell me that they're just letting the audience just fucking stand out there like that. Oh my God! This is retarded." Her record company denied that it was Spears' voice that was broadcast to the 170,000 in attendance at the Maracanã. * In March 2005, British King

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person t ...

(then the Prince of Wales) was heard saying, "Bloody people. I can't stand that man eferring_to_Nicholas_Witchell.html" ;"title="Nicholas_Witchell.html" ;"title="eferring to Nicholas Witchell">eferring to Nicholas Witchell">Nicholas_Witchell.html" ;"title="eferring to Nicholas Witchell">eferring to Nicholas Witchell He's so awful, he really is." He was heard to say this while posing for photographers with his sons in Klosters, Switzerland.''The Times, Times Online.'' 31 March 2005.
Charles attacks 'bloody press' in microphone gaffe
" Accessed 30 August 2006. * On 4 November 2010, radio host

Don Imus John Donald Imus Jr. (July 23, 1940 – December 27, 2019), also known mononymously as Imus, was an American radio personality, television show host, recording artist, and author. His radio show, '' Imus in the Morning'', was aired on various sta ...

was caught on a hot mic mocking an advertisement for the charity Kars4Kids during a commercial break, calling them a "moron" and telling them to "go to hell". Imus apologized the next day for the gaffe.

References

{{reflist Broadcasting Humour