Exclusive Report: Child's Outburst Sparks Heated Confrontation with News Anchor—Why?

Ever heard of the phrase “fill your boots”? It’s a charming Canadian expression meaning to take full advantage of an opportunity. And this young kid in Toronto, with his dad by his side, certainly took that saying to an unexpected level while I was just trying to do a piece to camera for CityNews. I mean, really, what’s the world coming to when a thought bubbles “You’ve got to be kidding me!” moment leaves you genuinely shocked during what was supposed to be a routine broadcast? This hijack left me and, quite frankly, the internet, stunned.

The incident involved a lad, about the age where schoolyard pranks peak, armed with an inappropriate, yet disturbingly viral, catchphrase. And what was his father doing? Laughing! Just laughing along as if this vulgar interruption was the punchline of the decade! Here I was, aiming to delve into some hard-hitting journalism, and instead, I became the unwitting star of a viral spectacle. It’s moments like these that make you ponder the path society’s humor is stumbling down.

But let’s not forget, folks, amidst the chuckles and the viral shares, this isn’t just about being heckled…it’s about what it says about our collective sense of decorum. So, let’s dive into this odd mix of humor, parenting, and viral prank culture, all wrapped up in a couple of minutes at Yonge-Dundas Square… LEARN MORE .

A reporter has told how she was left ‘disturbed’ after a young boy interrupted her broadcast to shout a sexual joke – in full view of his father, who simply ‘laughed’.

Michelle Mackey said she was appalled by the attitude of the pair, who hijacked her segment while she was filming in Toronto, Canada.

Although hecklers who want their five minutes of fame come with the territory of live reporting, this incident left the CityNews Toronto journalist stunned.

Mackey explained that while she was shooting her piece to camera, a young lad who was with his father began walking towards her.

The boy then shouted out a rude catchphrase which went viral about a decade ago, after social media user John Cain shared a spoof clip of him butting in a broadcast to say ‘f**k her right in the p****y’.

Even though Cain’s video was a prank and fake, it spawned countless copycats who have done the same thing to real reporters – and now, it’s happened to Mackey.

Michelle Mackey said she was left ‘disturbed’ by the young boy’s comment as well as his father’s reaction to it (TikTok/michellemackeytiktok)

She shared a TikTok video explaining what had happened last Monday (7 April), urging people to ‘please end this trend’.

Mackey said: “So for the first time in a very long time, someone walked by while I was recording and said the old ‘f her right in the you know what’.

“What was so disturbing about this – it was probably a nine-year-old boy…with his dad.”

She then shared the footage of the interaction, while describing the incident as ‘one of the most alarming things she has witnessed as a news reporter’.

Mackey captioned the clip: “What looked to be an 8 or 9-year-old boy yelled this at me, WITH HIS FATHER BY HIS SIDE.

“They proceeded to laugh and walk away. Out of respect for the child, I’m blurring their faces. Whether this is yelled at a man or woman, it perpetuates and normalises misogyny. I thought this horrible trend was over.”

She has called for the end of the trend (TikTok/michellemackeytiktok)

Her video has since racked up more than 3.3 million views as well as thousands of comments after it went viral.

Mackey said she was ‘beyond disturbed’ when she realised the age of the heckler, while saying it has ‘been years’ since she heard anyone utter the phrase.

She told Today that she attempted to speak to the ‘giggling’ youngster and the adult accompanying him, who both ‘thought it was hilarious’.

The reporter said: “I waved them back … I just wanted to be able to look that father and kid in the eye and say, ‘Can you say that again to me, looking me in the eye as a human being?’

“But they wouldn’t come back. They just laughed and gave me a thumbs up and kept on walking.”

She explained that she considers the boy’s words to be a ‘very violating phrase’, explaining: “You do feel violated in a way. And I was so angry after the shock kind of wore off.

“I don’t fault the kid. Like, he’s so young. I really do fault the adult in this situation for not saying something.”

Mackey explained she shared the footage online in the hopes that she could nip the trend ‘in the bud’, while sharing a message to the mystery man accompanying the kid.

She added: “You probably are coming at this from a place of humor, and you probably think this is funny and not harmful, but I just hope you can consider the words that came out of your mouth … And really think about what those words mean. And just ask yourself… would you look in the eye of someone you love and say that to them?”