CNN got pranked in the silliest way during their New Year’s Eve Live broadcast.
As hosts Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper presented the special from Times Square, several NSFW names featured on the live show’s ticker along the bottom of the screen.
Crude names such as “Ben Dover”, “Mike Oxlong” and “Dixie Normus” graced the airwaves as the network pulled in tweets that included the hashtag #CNNNYE.
“Dixie Normus”, who has now added “og queen of the #CNNNYE Twitter feed” to their bio, follows a couple of the other creatively-named accounts who also featured on the show.
Other accounts followed by the prank account include “Seymour Butts”, “Hugh Jass”, and “Harry Cox”.
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According to The Daily Beast, the prank accounts appear to be linked as almost all of them follow each other and they were all created in December.
Reporter Jose Pagliery said that the master account appears to be @MikeOxLong625 as it was created in February and tweeted about things other than CNN, but the account is now deactivated.
Keen-eyed viewers spotted the naughty names and enjoyed being in on the joke:
To the hero who managed to get the names Ben Dover, Anita Blackman, Mike Oxlong, and Dixie Normus to all show up on the Twitter scroll on @CNN last night we salute you. #cnn pic.twitter.com/wjhRvd1XLa
— *sips fascist tears* (@AerynKellye) January 2, 2022
Shoutout to the @CNN producers who highlighted tweets from Mike Oxlong, Bo Nehr and Ben Dover tonight. You are the real heroes. pic.twitter.com/iYaof23281
— brian braiker (@slarkpope) January 1, 2022
CNN New Year has been regularly showing tweets from Mike Oxlong and Ben Dover for the last 10 minutes. Absolute scenes pic.twitter.com/bRN6SPB7KB
— Alex Kirshner (@alex_kirshner) January 1, 2022
This is the greatest thing I have ever seen… mike oxlong on CNN tweets 😂 @mikeoxlong625_ pic.twitter.com/xdgQIQt9Il
— Kristin Alinea (@KristinAlinea) January 1, 2022
CNN posting tweets from Mike Oxlong, Harry Cox, Ben Dover, & Hugh Jass.
— Daniel Reynolds (@DannyReynolds95) January 3, 2022
😂 😂 😂 https://t.co/fffpDp2Gf0
On the CNN scroller, we've seen tweet comments from both Hugh Janus and Ben Dover. 2022 is gonna be good.
— Christie (@christiel44) January 1, 2022
WHO LET MIKE OXLONG AND BEN DOVER ON CNN?? YALL NEED A NEW SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER #CNNNYE pic.twitter.com/QZxnaR0ORc
— 🔥SIGN RODON!🔥🧢 (@FTwItte76970323) January 1, 2022
The prank even made it onto The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, where Colbert shared other NSFW names including "Ivana Umpew" and "Luke Attertush".
CNN isn’t the first channel to fall victim to raunchy names. Earlier this year, GB News got caught out by “Mike Hunt” and “Mike Oxlong”.
Although it’s naughty, it seems the CNN prankster’s actions led to many ringing in the new year with a laugh.
For more rib-tickling telly blunders, check out our top picks for the top TV gaffes of 2021.
