A CNN guest ended up needing stitches after a backflip fail live on CNN News Central.
RobertAnthony Cruz, a member of the Savannah Bananas exhibition baseball team, face planted into the studio floor after being asked to showcase his skills by hosts Kate Bolduan and John Berman.
A 13-second clip of the incident has generated more than 5M views on X/Twitter alone, with Cruz making quite the thud as he splayed out on the ground.
Bolduan could be heard exclaiming, “Oh Jesus,” as Cruz attempted the flip. When the camera cut back to her, the presenter was clasping her hands over her mouth. “What you just saw there is a brand new twist on America’s favorite pastime,” Berman said.
Luckily, Cruz was ok. In an Instagram post, which included a backstage video of the stunt gone wrong, the Savannah Bananas star said: “The sound makes it 10x funnier. Yes, you have my permission to laugh. Yes, I’m all good. Some stitches, slightly damaged pride, and some unparalleled dad lore.”
Watch on Deadline
In a separate video reflecting on the fail, Cruz explained that he was running low on sleep before performing the stunt, and the bright light of the studio set meant that he lost his bearings in mid-air.
“I was pretty confused. My mic pack fell out of my pocket, my shoe flew off of my foot. I don’t even know how that happened. I feel bad for the news anchors because they just sat there like, Ok, we’re not supposed to laugh, but oh my gosh, that was funny,” Cruz observed. “They just had to carry on.”
Cruz said he was unable to take part in an interview because he was covered in blood from splitting his lip and chin.
The video contained a photo of Cruz receiving medical attention, which he said included “several stitches.” “Thank God, aside from my damaged pride, I didn’t sustain any significant injuries,” he said.