While it can be informative and entertaining, things aren’t always smooth sailing when it comes to live TV. After a recent broadcast, it seems likely that
CNN contributor Justin Wolfers agrees after a recent choking incident. Keep reading to find out what happened to the economist.
CNN Contributor Chokes On Air
Justin Wolfers, an economist, had a less-than-flattering morning when he went on CNN to talk with Omar Jimenez. There’s always a risk that something could go wrong when filming for live TV. However, most probably don’t think about choking on air as one of the most prominent threats. Unfortunately for Justin, that’s exactly what happened to him while he was right in the middle of a deep discussion with Omar.
“The good news is the U.S. labor market, roughly speaking, has been The Little Engine That Could. It’s not earning an A+ in anyone’s book, but it does seem remarkably resilient so far. But, all resilient until the day that we’re not,’” he says.
However, he abruptly has to stop when he is attacked by what seems like a coughing fit.
Omar continues to push on, hoping his co-star comes out of it.
“You know, I just wonder, like, as we look ahead, everyone is looking – maybe not everyone – but, folks like yourself are looking at the Fed and trying to figure out, okay, we have these economic indicators, maybe the job market is a little softer, but how do you think the Fed is going to read this, considering they didn’t hike interest rates at the last meeting?” he continues the conversation.
All the while, Justin struggles to keep his coughing to a minimum. Turns out, it was more than just a coughing fit that took him out.
What Happened To Justin Wolfers?
Justin goes on to reveal that he actually swallowed a fly; that’s what was causing him to cough so much, Daily Express US reports.
“Mate, I just swallowed a fly on live television!” he exclaims, causing Omar to start laughing. “I was trying to keep talking while you were coughing, so you could figure it out. It’s all good!” Omar says.
“It might actually be a metaphor, because the biggest thing going on at the Fed is Kevin Warsh feels like I do right now,” Justin jokes.
However, he didn’t leave it there. He also took to X to talk more about the situation. Clearly, this isn’t something that he was expecting to happen to him. He seems to be having quite the laugh about it.
A fly just zipped into my mouth while gabbing on CNN. Next question was about the Fed, so I did what Kevin Warsh won’t—I swallowed hard and kept talking. I figure folks deserve some clarity about the economy.
(Postscript: The fly is dead. And I’m no longer a vegetarian.)
— Justin Wolfers (@JustinWolfers) August 8, 2026
“A fly just zipped into my mouth while gabbing on CNN. Next question was about the Fed, so I did what Kevin Warsh won’t-I swallowed hard and kept talking. I figure folks deserve some clarity about the economy. (Postscript: The fly is dead. And I’m no longer a vegetarian.),” he writes in the post.
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Haley is a recent IU grad with a degree in journalism and apparel merchandising. She loves to indulge her guilty pleasures by watching or writing about reality TV. In her free time, you can find her wandering around IKEA looking for cool furniture or playing with her cat Bagel.
