A television host says he's getting hate mail for asking New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern if her hair is going gray
- Last week, "The AM Show" host Ryan Bridge ended an interview with New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern by asking if her hair was going gray.
- Ardern laughed then told Bridge "that's not a polite question to ask anyone — I was about to say 'a lady,' but anyone, actually."
- On Tuesday, Bridges said he'd received hate mail from all over the world over his comment, "like I'd somehow insulted all womanhood by asking about her gray hairs."
A New Zealand television host says he's getting hate mail for asking Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern if her hair was turning gray.
Last week, "The AM Show" host Ryan Bridge ended an interview with the prime minister by asking about her hair color, according to the New Zealand site Stuff. Bridges had seen a tweet from Ardern's partner, Clarke Gayford, saying he had dyed her hair.
"Why are you dyeing it anyway?" Bridges asked. "Is it going gray or something?"
Ardern laughed, then firmly told Bridge he should not be asking her that. "Never... never... never... that's not a polite question to ask anyone," she said. "I was about to say a lady, but anyone, actually."
She added, "It's just a little touch-up, Ryan. No reason."
Bridges tried to downplay the question by adding: "Looks good, Prime Minister. And I only mention the gray hair because you are the prime minister and it does tend to age people. No harm intended, alright?"
Ardern seemed to accept his rationale but, on Tuesday, Bridges said he had since received condemnation from all over the world, according to Stuff.
"I cannot emphasize the number of messages that personally I received from haters around the globe defending Jacinda Ardern, like I'd somehow insulted all womanhood by asking about her grey hairs," he said.
He spoke about the angry messages a day after another interview with Ardern was interrupted by a 5.8 magnitude earthquake, felt by 40,000 people, Business Insider previously reported. Ardern remained composed as the remote studio shook around her.
"We're just having a bit of an earthquake here, Ryan," she said. "Quite a decent shake here."
Bridges said the combination of him being chastised by people around the world and the international response to how she handled the earthquake — The Guardian asked if she was "unshakeable?" — proved Ardern's name is now recognized globally.
"What it's shown me is that the popularity of Jacinda Ardern around the world, I don't even think we really comprehend," he said.
Ardern has received a great deal of media attention for her role in leading New Zealand through the coronavirus pandemic, including profiles in The New York Times and The Washington Post.
An article in The Atlantic called her potentially "the most effective leader on the planet.