Comedian Hannah Berner is receiving backlash for a viral clip from a red carpet interview with rapper Megan Thee Stallion. During the interview, which took place at the Vanity Fair Oscars Party on March 2, Berner’s Giggly Squad podcast cohost Paige DeSorbo commented that she starts her day with Megan’s music. Both women are visibly excited during what starts as a sweet moment. Berner says, “You give so much confidence to women everywhere.” However, she adds, “When I want to fight someone, I listen to your music. When people are talking trash, I say, ‘Turn on Megan Thee Stallion!'”
Megan, appearing to evade talk of fighting, replies: “‘Cause you want to throw that fighting s— out the window, and you want to get cute and be a bad b—-.” Soon after the clip began to circulate social media users noted how microaggressive and racist the comment was as it perpetuates the stereotype of Black women being aggressive, a particularly egregious blunder on Berner’s part given that Megan herself is a victim of violence.
Berner issued an apology on her Instagram story, writing: “Interviewing Megan Thee Stallion was a dream of mine I love her music and it’s my go-to whenever I need to boost my confidence before a show. Looking back at the interview, I wish I used any other word except ‘fight’ to describe how her songs impact me. It was a careless choice of words and though there was no ill intent, I recognize and acknowledge that what I said has a deeper meaning and I am so sorry to Megan. I appreciate everyone who brought this to my attention.”
The interaction has led to discussions regarding how these events choose interviewers. Recently, a growing number of influencers have been invited to events like film premieres and award shows to interview talent. Sometimes they can come across as unprofessional during these interactions, citing a lack of preparation for asking thoughtful questions and that they’ve done little research on their celebrity or the film, television show, or music they’re inquiring about. Naturally, this has raised questions about why journalists who’ve put time into honing the art of the profession are getting passed up for these opportunities.
There has been a lot of discourse surrounding whether or not influencers should be included in these spaces at all. While it is certainly unfair that influencers are being pushed to take over the jobs of journalists, this goes beyond the influencers themselves and is indicative of an issue within journalism as a whole.
Not every influencer lacks a journalism background, likewise, not every interviewer with a journalism background is great at interviewing. Influencer Drew Afualo made a TikTok about the discourse. Afualo, who has a background in journalism, found herself looped into these discussions. In the video, she states, “The argument of influencers replacing journalists is a little cheap.” She goes on to make the point that unprofessionalism during interviews has been a concern in entertainment journalism long before influencers joined the mix. Take inappropriate questions directed at female celebrities by journalists prominent in the 2000s for instance.
@drewafualo journalism degrees are great, but the ability to read a room & be enigmatic will take you much further imo but WHAT DO I KNOWWW LMFAOOO
♬ original sound – Drew Afualo
Afualo references the AP interview clip that went viral after this year’s Grammy Awards of two interviewers cutting off songwriter and record producer Babyface in the middle of an interview to get the attention of Chappell Roan, a nominee that night who would’ve gotten them a viral interview.
The focus of entertainment journalism has been steering in the wrong direction for some time now. Many of the interviewers seen at these high-profile events are chosen to take on the task due to their ability to create a viral moment. While there is space for these kinds of snappy and funny interviews, virality and the next trending sound bite are becoming more important than respectful and thoughtful interviews. As a result, underrepresented journalists are being left in the dust.
A lot of these interviewers tend to have a larger internet following, are recognizable amongst younger audiences, and, due to inequalities in the social media sphere, they are predominantly white. Many people rightfully called out the two AP interviewers for disrespecting an icon in the music industry. However, many Black journalists took the discussion a step further by asking: “Would a Black reporter have cut off a legend in Black music?” Similarly “Would a Black interviewer have told Megan Thee Stallion that her music makes them want to fight?”
Simply banishing influencers from these spaces puts a bandaid over a deeper issue. Berner being a journalist wouldn’t necessarily have changed the outcome of the interaction. Ultimately, it’s about who exactly is getting these opportunities and why. Publications like Vanity Fair or Associated Press need to get serious about diversifying their selection of interviewers to prevent missteps like these from happening.
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