The White House press briefing immediately descended into chaos on Monday after Today News Africa correspondent Simon Ateba began shouting over press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, demanding that she allow him to ask a question and accusing her of “making a mockery of the First Amendment.”
Flanked by stars from the Apple TV show Ted Lasso, featuring the comedian Jason Sudeikis, Ateba laid into Jean-Pierre for ignoring him.
“It’s been seven months. You have not called on me,” he said.
Over shouts by others in attendance for “Decorum please!” and “Silence!” Ateba blasted Jean-Pierre.
“This is not China, this is not Russia,” Ateba shouted. “You are making a mockery of the First Amendment.”
The cast of Ted Lasso is at the White House Press Briefing and it began with @simonateba telling Jean-Pierre "you're making a mockery of the First Amendment." pic.twitter.com/PxZnRBvTWI
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) March 20, 2023
Following the outburst, the press secretary tried to make light of the situation, turning around to Sudeikis and company joking: “Welcome guys. Welcome to the press briefing room.”
The cast of Ted Lasso, a sitcom based on an American sports coach who moves to England to manage a soccer team, were visiting the White House to speak about mental health.
"You're going to have a lot of folks who'll want to move away."@jasonsudeikis, aka Ted Lasso, takes a question from "fake journalist" Trent Crimm about Kansas City being selected as a host city for the 2026 World Cup. pic.twitter.com/nEET50zoUB
— National Review (@NRO) March 20, 2023
Ateba has commandeered other briefings, loudly complaining that reporters from legacy outlets are called on daily to the exclusion of other journalists from less established publications, who are consigned to the back of the briefing room by the White House Correspondents Association. Other members of the White House press corps said they were “tired of dealing” with Ateba’s outbursts with another noting, “it’s not just about you, Simon.”
“Don’t make assumptions about what the rest of us do, mind your manners when you’re in here and if you have a problem, you bring it up afterward, but you are impinging on everybody in here who’s only trying to do their job,” an unidentified journalist added.
The press secretary addressed the controversy later on in the briefing.
“As you know, this is the White House press briefing room. A historic room. A room that should have decorum. A room where folks should respect their colleagues and respect the guests that are here. And I understand that there’s going to be give and take. That’s the way the press briefing has gone for decades before me.”