Gretchen Whitmer Drops F-Bomb On Hot Mic Before Convention Speech
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer was caught on a live microphone — a so-called “hot mic” in the audiovisual industry — dropping the F-word before she gave her speech before the Democratic National Convention on Monday night, HuffPost reported.
As Whitmer was getting ready to deliver her remarks to the online convention audience, she addressed the few people who were with her in the room where it happened. Specifically, she mentioned Shark Week, the annual celebration of all things shark that airs this time each year on the Discovery Channel.
“It’s not just Shark Week. It’s Shark Week, motherf*ckers.”
The expletive was barely audible, however, Whitmer did little more than simply mouth the words.
The incident was captured on video.
Gov. Whitmer (D-MI) jokes before going live: "It's not just Shark Week … it's Shark Week *mouths expletive*" pic.twitter.com/KSndbTvLZi
— The Recount (@therecount) August 18, 2020
As to what Whitmer meant by the statement, HuffPost writer Ed Mazza noted that Shark Week recently concluded, and that the statement, complete with the profanity, is sometimes used by fans who are excited about the event.
Seconds later, she appeared to acknowledge that she might have been caught.
“I have learned about the hot mic,” she said while waving a finger.
The brief moment of levity became a thing on Twitter.
One user, for example, suggested that there might be merchandising potential in the quip.
“I need a shirt that says It’s Shark Week, motherf*ckers,'” wrote one user.
In fact, one company did turn the phrase into a merchandising opportunity: a candle manufacturer produced a candle bearing the quote, attributed to Big Gretch, which can be purchased for $25.
Back on Twitter, another user snuck in a reference to something President Donald Trump previously said about her.
“Yep. That just made me like her more. Ya know that woman from Michigan,” the user wrote.
Other Twitter users, however, weren’t so amused.
“So inappropriate, not funny and no class… I won’t vote for bad language,” a user posted.
As for Whitmer, after the laughter had subsided, she gave her speech, as scheduled. In the address, which can be read in its entirety here, the governor spoke of a Detroit girl named Skylar, who lost her life to COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the novel coronavirus. The 5-year-old, whose mother is a police officer and whose father is a firefighter, was one of the few young children to have died of the illness that, until recently, the medical community believed almost unilaterally spared them. Whitmer called on voters to honor Skylar’s memory and to rise to the challenge of battling the deadly pandemic.
