Maryam Moshiri claims that right before her less-than-polite hand gesture made it onto camera, she and the behind-the-scenes crew were in the midst of a countdown from ten, and her lone middle finger was the last one standing. She's since offered an apology, emphasizing that it was intended as a jest shared among herself and the staff, with no intention to upset any viewers.
From TMZ:
She suddenly realized she was live on air and quickly abandoned her goofy behavior, turning serious as she dived into a story about former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson apologizing to the UK for the pain caused by the Coronavirus pandemic.
Moshiri issued her own apology after her embarrassing gaffe went viral on social media.
Hey everyone , yesterday just before the top of the hour I was joking around a bit with the team in the gallery.
— Maryam Moshiri (@BBCMaryam) December 7, 2023
I was pretending to count down as the director was counting me down from 10-0.. including the fingers to show the number. So from 10 fingers held up to one.
When…
In a statement posted on X, Moshiri said she was sharing a "private joke with the team and I’m so sorry it went out on air!"
She continued, "It was not my intention for this to happen and I’m sorry if I offended or upset anyone."
She also insisted she was not "flipping the bird" to her viewers or anyone else -- and it was all a "silly joke" meant for a small number of colleagues.
