Maine meteorologist suffers giggle attack on live TV after prank backfires spectacularly
Patrick Osborn just wanted to share a harmless gag with a colleague. Instead, the WABI meteorologist gave TikTok users around the world one of the most memorable moments in recent television history.
The laughter began during Osborn's Sunday morning weather report when an unexpected sound sent him into a fit of giggles he simply could not suppress. The fit grew so intense that he eventually had to step off camera, gasping for breath between apologies to viewers.
The culprit? A Charlie Brown "wa wa wa" phone call sound.
Osborn had planned a lighthearted prank for fellow anchor Josh Gabbard during a commercial break, playing what he thought was a short video clip featuring the iconic Peanuts sound effect. He did not realize he had queued up an hour-long compilation that periodically replayed the familiar "wa wa wa" noise every few minutes.
"I got a fit of laughter that I was not able to control on air, unfortunately," Osborn recalled. "A lot of times, something funny happens, and I'm able to contain myself, but this one, it was just a little too overwhelming."
When the audio unexpectedly returned while Osborn was mid-forecast, it triggered an immediate and uncontrollable response. He found himself blurting out temperatures between increasingly hysterical giggles, repeatedly attempting to apologize before the laughter rendered his words incomprehensible.
"Something as silly and light-hearted as a Charlie Brown sound made me completely lose my composure," Osborn explained. "I was just trying to keep it together but I couldn't. Like, when you're not supposed to laugh, you're in an environment when you can't laugh, and you're trying to hold it back, that just makes it 10 times worse."
The segment stretched on for approximately one minute before Osborn eventually ceded the screen to a colleague. Gabbard himself had to leave the studio during the ordeal.
Co-anchor Brian Sullivan, who witnessed the meltdown firsthand, struggled to contain his own amusement when reflecting on the moment.
"That's the hardest I've heard … really anyone laugh," Sullivan said, chuckling.
WABI posted the clip to TikTok, where it quickly captured global attention. By Thursday evening, the footage had accumulated nearly nine million views, turning a simple weather report into an international viral sensation.
