After making a provocative “knob” joke live on television, an ABC news presenter surprised both her guest and the viewers.
The provocative remark was made on Sunday during a section about the Ig Nobel Prize, which are satirical prizes presented by the “science comedy journal the Annals of Improbable Research.”
Johanna Nicholson, the show’s co-host, and the guest on the program were left speechless when Ms. Ibrahim made a joke about this year’s best door knob-turning research.
According to my own experience, there are situations when you need two hands to turn a large knob, Ms. Ibrahim stated.
Ibrahim made the joke after the group saw video of 32 volunteers twisting 47 door knobs, which led the researchers to believe that larger door knobs needed more fingers to turn.
The visitor mumbled “uh” and “yeah” before dismissing the joke and going into further detail on the advantages of the study.
“It’s) something that’s essential when considering how we engage with the outside world, and of course it’s important for individuals who in particular have impairments or older people who may require a little bit of assistance with the design,” she added.
The Japanese team that received the engineering prize for figuring out the best technique to turn a doorknob was headed by Professor Gen Matsuzaki.
The winners were one of ten unique or unimportant scientific research accomplishments that were acknowledged at the humorous event.
After hearing the statement, viewers expressed shock but found humor in the provocative conversation, praising the joke as “amazing” and “nothing but class.”
“I believed I was dreaming,” One spectator tweeted, “From firsthand experience, she stated… excellent.”
Another viewer said, “I had that playing in the background and couldn’t believe it @ABC – great!”
A third person said, “Fauziah Ibrahim understands precisely what she just said and we all heard it and chuckled.”
A fourth person wrote: “Fauziah Ibrahim on #ABC News Channel attempts to be hilarious in (a) program on Ig Nobel prize for study on door knob sizes. Nothing but the best.
Others who were watching said the statement was offensive and made for “awkward viewing.”
One viewer tweeted, “I curse like a sailor but it was not the time nor the place.”
A Reddit user said that they would have liked to see the presenter and guest’s uncomfortable responses if the camera had cut to the news desk at the moment of the statement.
Well, I find it amusing, particularly given the uneasy responses of the others. Thought it would be hilarious if we had the desk’s feed at the moment, the user wrote.
Another Reddit member said, “Had to do a double take, Awkward watching.”
The newscaster has encountered criticism from the public before.
After taking a month off from her on-air reporting responsibilities, Ibrahim was criticized earlier this year for making a lewd joke about the parallels between a robotic finger and a sex toy during her weekend morning program.
Ibrahim was removed from her position when it emerged that she had made two lists on Twitter that called her followers “lobotomized s**theads” and “Labor trolls/thugs.”
Since then, the co-host of breakfast has closed her Twitter account.