Watch Erykah Badu Crash a TV News Telecast to Kiss Reporter

We'll say this much about Erykah Badu: she has a real sense of humor. This year has seen her get into some hot water -- that whole performing for an African dictator thing didn't go over so well -- but the Dallas R&B singer is still out having plenty of...

By Jeff Gage

June 29, 2014

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We'll say this much about Erykah Badu: she has a real sense of humor. This year has seen her get into some hot water -- that whole performing for an African dictator thing didn't go over so well -- but the Dallas R&B singer is still out having plenty of fun, thank you very much. In fact, Badu snuck her way onto a live New York City news telecast on Friday afternoon (appropriately enough, during a report on Shia LeBeouf's latest meltdown). She even tried to steal a kiss from the unsuspecting reporter, who didn't realize at first who his "number-one fan" really was.

Mario Diaz was conducting a live report on Friday afternoon for local station PIX 11 from the streets of Midtown when Badu, dressed in a large white hat that looked like a cross between Pharrell's hat and a lamp shade, came strolling, smilingly, into view. Diaz, not initially noticing Badu's presence, brushed her off like an NYC pro when she suddenly leaned in for a peck on his cheek.

This Vine of the incident also shows Badu first opening up her coat to show off her shirt (a Native American with an American flag headdress) and then making a bit of a, er, lewd gesture in the background.

Diaz and the studio anchor laughed off the encounter without actually realizing it was Badu. But soon folks on Twitter put the pieces together and sought her out. At first, Badu denied that it was her:

nope. "@StevieTrees47: @fatbellybella is that you? https://t.co/toWbpmgp0x"
— ErykahBadoula (@fatbellybella) June 27, 2014

Soon enough, however, she owned up to it:

@MarioPIX11 sorry Mario. :-)))))
— ErykahBadoula (@fatbellybella) June 28, 2014

To his credit, Diaz was more than good-humored about the whole situation, shooting back a couple of playful tweets in Badu's direction. Like any good middle-aged dad who needs to demonstrate his hipness, he even quoted a Prince lyric:

@fatbellybella I get it because...
"Ain't no particular sign I'm more compatible with I just want your extra time and your..... kiss"
— Mario Diaz (@MarioPIX11) June 28, 2014

@fatbellybella
#Btw my wife and 2-year-old were 20 yards away when it happened... She saw the roll up, you putting on hat & everything.
— Mario Diaz (@MarioPIX11) June 28, 2014

Badu will be back in the Dallas area (sort of) in a few weeks when she visits WinStar Casino in Thackerville, Oklahoma for a performance on Saturday, July 12.

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