Even though many people are pretty darn excited about the election results, it's important to know that it's still 2020. And while we've gotten better with Zoom chats and working from home, it can still be a little awkward, especially if you're in a position where you often need to go live for work.
While Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro's teenage son could probably hear his dad from down the hall, that didn't stop him from peeking into the computer room. He likely had no clue he was visible. However, due to the tension of the news, his brief cameo was just what people needed to see. While not embarrassing, the moment was overly relatable.
The moment happened on Friday. Josh was chatting with MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace about Donald Trump's reaction to the election. As nobody could believe the president's outlandish requests, like to stop counting the legal votes received by mail, many had been watching the news since Tuesday. It's possible that Josh's son was just over the coverage. Or perhaps he was so lost in TikTok that he forgot his dad was on air. No matter what, he managed to perfect the "walk away backward" movement without haste. It's a reminder that many of us are still working from home alongside our families. And that even politicians don't have a flawless setup right now.
Josh has likely had similar run-ins before, just never live. He has four children at home — Sophia, Jonah, Max, and Reuben. And family is very important to him. As his Twitter bio even states, he married his high school sweetheart and still seems very much in love.
Even Leslie Jones couldn't help but retweet the moment. "He didn't even flinch," the Supermarket Sweep host said. It's almost like you could see Josh's son try to figure out the best and most flawless way to pretend the moment didn't happen. And he nailed it.
It's good to know that Josh got in on the joke. Both he and his family seem overjoyed that their son became a meme. But there's a moment that's even better. And that's if you look in the background while Josh is talking. He had some subliminal references that people have picked up on.
Not only does Josh have a figurine of the Count from Sesame Street, who was also very popular in election memes, but he also has a small mail truck. This year, many voters depended on the postal service to get their vote in. It was a reminder to everyone that the USPS is still a very important organization.
And without encouraging voters to stay safe at home and mail in their ballots, Joe Biden might not have won the election. He knew there were multiple ways to cast a vote, and he spoke out against naysayers who felt as if only in-person Election Day votes should count. That's what made this Election Day even more special.
Josh Shapiro's son is also a reminder that literally anything, and anyone, can become a meme unexpectedly. And this one is adorably harmless. For Josh, his son happened to make viewers laugh at a time when they really needed a laugh.
It wasn't as catastrophe-riddled as the BBC interview when a man's two small children busted in the room while he was live on television. Back in 2017, Professor Robert Kelly was giving an interview from his home. Remember, back then this format wasn't as common as it is today.
Robert is now known as "BBC Dad," but his kids may be more popular than he is. Currently in South Korea with his family due to the virus, he realized that suddenly he was even more relatable. "Parents in particular saw themselves in our shoes, struggling to balance work and life," he said, per NPR.
Robert was kind in opening up this year about the real pressures of working from home. For some time, he didn't have anything to do — so he spent even more time with his kids, playing games and connecting. It's something that most working parents never had to do before — balance both work and family in the same time frame, in the same house.
"This is what happens when I sit down at my desk now to try to work," he said on Twitter, with a picture of his son perched on his shoulders. "It is basically impossible for me to work now. Be kind to your employees with kids. After two weeks penned up in the house, those kids are gonna be climbing the walls."
As we know now, that time span has become much longer than two weeks — and the situation is continuously hard for parents right now. But we've all become so much more forgiving regarding Zoom errors and accidents. At this point, most of us have had a funny moment while video conferencing.
And it's a great attitude to have. Right now, we'll take laughs wherever we can get them. And as Josh Shapiro noted on Instagram, where he also shared the moment, it's a reminder that we're all human. "See, politicians are people too!" he noted.
The moment must have been big for his son. Aside from Leslie Jones, other celebrities weighed in on the moment. An entrepreneur by the name of April Underwood actually thought the moment represented how all of us felt after the election had dragged on. "This kid is all of us," she wrote.
Next time you forget to tell your kids you're in the middle of a meeting, remember — this could have been you. It's a good reminder that nobody's perfect, and that we're all trying our best. But it's also a good reminder to laugh every once in a while. This year has been stressful, but it's healthy to laugh and stay positive.
