Gadfly Reporter Throws White House Presser Into Chaos With Over-the-Top Tantrum

Simon Ateba once again made the White House press briefing all about his perceived grievances on Monday.

A notorious gadfly who claims he’s been removed from the White House Correspondent’s Association, the Today News Africa reporter had one of his trademarked public meltdowns—this time in front of the Ted Lasso cast.

With Jason Sudeikis, Hannah Waddingham, and other stars of the hit show joining White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre at the podium, Ateba began berating Jean-Pierre for not taking enough of his questions.

“No, no, we’re not doing this,” the Biden flack snapped back. “We’re not doing this, we’re not doing this, we’re not doing this!”

Ateba, undeterred, contended that “this is not China” and “this is not Russia” before accusing Jean-Pierre of “making a mockery of your profession.” He then grumbled that “it’s been seven months” since he had last been called on to ask a question, all while the Ted Lasso stars stood awkwardly in the background and Ateba’s press room colleagues yelled out for him to respect “decorum.”

Moments later, after the celebrity portion of the gaggle was complete, Ateba decided to keep going. This time around, however, several fellow journalists stepped in to shut him down.

One reporter let out an exasperated yelp during Ateba’s continued diatribe while others, including Reuters reporter Jeff Mason and columnist Brian Karem (no stranger to press briefing controversy himself), lectured Ateba on his behavior.