News anchors and TV presenters are bound to slip up now and then — they’re only human, after all.
But when newsreader Natasha Exelby was caught off guard during a live broadcast, the consequences were far more serious than anyone expected…
Unexpected on-air blunder
Natasha Exelby never expected to become an overnight sensation — but one slip-up during a live news broadcast changed everything for the Australian.
It was a late Saturday night in 2017, and Natasha was live on ABC’s 11:30 p.m. bulletin. As the cameras cut back to her, she was caught completely off guard, doing something we’ve all done at some point, just not on live television.
The stunned look on her face lasted only a second, but that was all it took. The clip spread like wildfire across social media, making her an instant viral sensation.
Natasha Exelby’s unexpected on-air blunder turned her into an internet sensation, but her bosses at ABC weren’t nearly as amused.
So, what exactly did she do, and what was it that led her bosses to essentially fire her over the incident?
Well, Natasha was caught daydreaming in the middle of the broadcast, fiddling with something just as she was about to go live.
”I had some things going through my mind at the time and then it happened so quickly. I was next to the sports presenter, Meredith Sheehan, who I’d never met before then but strikes me as a lovely creature. And after it happened I felt pretty sick and Meredith just said, ‘It’s a Saturday night, don’t worry, no one will be watching.’ I thought to myself, ‘It just takes one.’”
Backlash behind the scenes
The backlash behind the scenes was swift and severe, leading to major consequences for the journalist.
Speaking to news.com.au, the Queensland-born journalist admitted she never could have predicted how far the clip would travel. “I turned my phone off because it was going ballistic,” she revealed, adding that she avoids reading stories about herself because they usually lead to “chocolate binges.”
Rumors quickly spread that Natasha had been fired over her blunder and that sparked a wave of support from fellow journalists, TV hosts, politicians, and entertainers. On social media, the hashtag #putyourbloopersout quickly gained traction as people rallied behind her.
However, ABC News director Gaven Morris denied that Exelby was fired, calling the media reports “untrue.” He explained that Exelby was a freelance journalist and, as such, wasn’t scheduled for any additional on-air shifts.
”Media reports that Natasha has been ‘banned’, ‘barred’ or ‘fired’ are untrue. Natasha is a freelance journalist who works as a contributor. She has been rostered for various shifts and has been assured since yesterday that we want that to continue. While she is not currently doing any on-air shifts, this will be subject to normal performance management,” he said.
Years later, she appeared as a contestant on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!
Opening up about the shocking aftermath of her viral moment, she shared new details with her campmates, revealing just how much her life changed after that split-second mistake.
_”They (ABC) took me off air; they said I couldn’t go on air again,” she revealed, adding that her next six weeks of on-air shifts were just ”cut out” — and she was offered ”producing shifts” instead.
Today, the clip may seem harmless, but it had a profound impact on Natasha when it first happened back in 2017.
”I was pretty embarrassed with what had happened,” she said.
Natasha Exelby has faced her fair share of controversies, with incidents that have sparked media attention throughout her career.
In one of her most recent mishaps, Exelby was caught driving under the influence after crashing her car in Melbourne on June 26, 2023. Police arrived at the scene on Orrong Rd and conducted a breath test, which revealed a staggering blood alcohol level of .220 — four times the legal limit. At the time, Exelby claimed she’d only consumed ”two seltzers” earlier in the day.
Natasha Exelby today
But that wasn’t the first time Exelby made headlines for her behavior.
Back in 2013, she had another viral moment while reading the news on Ten Eyewitness News Late. While presenting serious stories, Exelby started giggling uncontrollably, leading to an outcry. She later apologized, and Network Ten deemed her actions “totally unacceptable.”
A few months later, Exelby was part of the original team on Network Ten’s breakfast show Wake Up, alongside Natarsha Belling and James Mathison. The program, which launched in November 2013, was met with early struggles. Exelby was dropped from the show after just three weeks, with the creator citing a lack of chemistry between the presenters. Adding to the sting, Exelby revealed she was informed of her firing in a car park, 45 minutes before it was publicly announced.
Despite her controversies, Natasha Exelby remains active in the journalism industry. In February 2023, she resigned from Network 10 but continues to contribute to the network on a freelance basis, filling in on Studio 10. She has also made her mark as a Political Correspondent in the Canberra Press Gallery, interviewing every Australian Prime Minister since Bob Hawke.
Natasha Exelby’s infamous blooper may have turned into a viral moment, but it also sparked a deeper conversation about the pressures of live television, the scrutiny public figures face, and the thin line between human error and career-defining moments.
While some argue that everyone deserves a mistake or two, others still question how such a slip could impact someone’s career. What do you think? Is it just part of the job, or should there be more leniency when it comes to the occasional on-air blunder?
