Awkward: All in the name of fun

Hilary Clinton becomes latest victim of ‘Between Two Ferns’

Clinton maintained her composure throughout the interview. PHOTO: FILE

US presidential nominee Hillary Clinton played it strictly deadpan while parrying off-the-wall questions from comedian Zach Galifianakis on his online parody talk show Between Two Ferns, reported Reuters.

Galifianakis – one of the stars of The Hangover films – is known for his cringe-inducing banter on the show, asking his subjects awkward questions. Past interviewees include Brad Pitt, Charlize Theron, Bradley Cooper and even current US President Barack Obama.

Sitting between two fern plants on a sparse set, Galifianakis did not dial back his trademark style of appearing uninterested and unprepared as he interviewed Clinton, riffing on her previous role as US Secretary of State during Obama’s first term. “As secretary, how many words per minute could you type? And how does President Obama like his coffee? Like himself, weak?” Galifianakis quipped. To this, Clinton responded, “You know, Zach … those are really out-of-date questions. You need to get out more.”


Other topics brought up during the interview included the designer of Clinton’s signature pantsuits and whether her daughter Chelsea discussed romantic crushes with Ivanka Trump, daughter of Clinton’s Republican opponent Donald Trump. In the closing, Galifianakis made a wry reference to Clinton’s use of a private email server during her tenure as America’s top diplomat, which was investigated by the FBI. “This has been a lot of fun, Mrs. Clinton. We should stay in touch. What’s the best way to reach you? Email?”

As a poker-faced Clinton looked on, Galifianakis hit a button to play AOL’s famous email alert, “You’ve got mail.”

Published in The Express Tribune, September 25th, 2016.

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