WATCH: MSNBC’s Craig Melvin Confuses Guest With Parkland Survivor Brother, Awkwardness Ensues

WATCH: MSNBC’s Craig Melvin Confuses Guest With Parkland Survivor Brother, Awkwardness Ensues

Oof.

There are awkward interviews, and there’s what MSNBC’s Craig Melvin experienced today.

In the wake of yet another horrific mass shooting, the MSNBC anchor introduced two ‘March For Our Lives’ activists as survivors of the Parkland shooting. While one guest, Sofie Witney, was a student at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School during the massacre earlier this year, the other interview subject, Matt Deitsch, had graduated from the high school prior to the tragic event.

“Look, I was a graduate of Stoneman Douglas at the time and my brother and sister is survived the shooting there,” Deitsch told Melvin when asked to offer his “unique perspective” on recent mass shootings. “And not receiving texts for them for hours as that shooting took place and not knowing which one of my friends had lost siblings and who of the teachers I had at that school had survived.”

After Deitsch talked about the need for elected officials to reject the NRA and gun lobby to combat gun violence, Melvin then played a clip of Deitsch’s brother Ryan speaking a couple weeks ago on MSNBC. Melvin, however, thought it was Matt who had sat for the interview.

“That is my brother,” a clearly irritated Deitsch exclaimed. “You call me a survivor and play my brother as if it is me. Are you guys cool?”

A chastened Melvin apologized to Deitsch and pushed through the rest of the conversation. For his part, Deitsch was able to shrug off the multiple flubs and finished the interview, pointing out that “something has to be done” to stop these mass shootings.

At the end of the segment, with a pained look on his face over the series of mistakes on live TV, Melvin apologized once again.

Watch the clip above, via MSNBC.

Justin Baragona

Justin Baragona is the founder/publisher of Contemptor and a contributor to The Daily Beast. He was previously the Cable News Correspondent for Mediaite and prior to starting Contemptor, he worked on the editorial staff of PoliticusUSA. During that time, he had his work quoted by USA Today and BBC News, among others. Justin began his published career as a political writer for 411Mania. He resides in St. Louis, MO with his wife and pets.

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