An angry man confronted NBC News correspondent Shaquille Brewster on Monday while Brewster was doing a live shot from Gulfport, Miss., which has been slammed by Hurricane Ida.
“The rain has stopped, the wind is still going,” Brewster was saying during his live hit on MSNBC when a white pickup truck pulled up behind him and a man jumped out of the cab.
“I think we even have a random person … going around,” Brewster says turning away from the man who is visibly upset and shouting something at Brewster and his crew about “accuracy.”
“We deal with some people every once in while,” Brewster says before continuing with his report.
Brewster went on to report the local mayor decided to keep a curfew in place and utility companies were working to deal with downed power lines and tree limbs in the area. The man could still be heard shouting in the background as Brewster pressed on with his report.
“Craig, I’m gonna toss it back to you because we have a person who needs a little help right now,” Brewster said to studio host Craig Melvin.
As the network cut away from Brewster, the man pops into the frame again, getting inches away from the reporter’s face, prompting Brewster to lift his microphone up to the man’s chest and push the man away.
“Hey hey hey … ummmm we’re gonna check in with Shaq Brewster just to make sure all is well,” Melvin said. “There’s a lot of crazy out there, a lot of crazy. Again, we’ll make sure Shaq’s okay.”
Soon after the episode played out on live TV, Brewster sent a tweet thanking viewers for “the concern” and saying he and his crew were “all good.”
Several of Brewster’s NBC colleagues, as well as journalists at other outlets, praised him for maintaining his composure during the incident.
In a statement to The Hill, MSNBC President Rashida Jones called Brewster an “exceptional journalist” who handled the confrontation well.
“Like the consummate professional, he did not let someone intimidate him from doing his job,” Jones said. “We’re glad he and the team are safe, and we couldn’t be more proud and supportive of their work.”
Updated at 3:20 p.m.