Audience Member’s Phone Floods With Grindr Notifications On Live TV During Eurovision Rehearsals
The Eurovision Song Contest, a beloved event within the LGBTQIA+ community, recently witnessed a hilarious and history-making moment during rehearsals on May 8. As co-host Petra Mede borrowed an audience member’s phone to demonstrate the official Eurovision app, the device suddenly flooded with notifications from the popular gay dating app Grindr.
Unexpected Interruption
Mede, who is co-hosting the 68th song contest alongside actor Malin Akerman from Malmö, Sweden, was caught off guard by the continuous pings from the audience member’s phone. The person seeking a hook-up was apparently unaware that their potential match was being broadcast live on TV, as messages kept popping up.
Initially, Mede didn’t quite grasp the situation, but audience members began laughing in recognition of the familiar ping. Remaining professional, Mede said, “I don’t know what that was, but anyway, download this Eurovision app.” She then returned the phone to the audience member, jokingly adding, “It seems like you’re having a wonderful week here in Malmo.”
Grindr’s Playful Response
Grindr, the dating app itself, took to their official social media accounts to react to the Eurovision moment. They shared an image of parodied Grindr message bubbles, poking fun at the incident with messages like “Hey handsome,” “You at Eurovision too?,” “Warming up that throat for a duet?,” “I’ll make you sing a high note…,” and “Wanna meet in the bathroom?”
Planned Or Unplanned?
While some fans on X (formerly Twitter) believed the moment was a planned skit, the spontaneity and genuine reactions from the audience and co-host suggest otherwise. Also, the BBC would be prohibited from promoting a commercial brand in its broadcast. Regardless, the incident has become a memorable and entertaining highlight of this year’s Eurovision rehearsals.
