November 18, 2016

Fox News folks have a really weird sense of humor, and Pfizer apparently has a strong sense of product placement. We offer you this clip for its absurdity. In a week with far too much depressing news, this little slice of weirdness is intended to make you do one of several things: Laugh uncomfortably; accept that they're just blowing off a little steam, or else acknowledge how deeply invested corporate media is in promoting every one of their products -- even lip balm.

It begins with Shep Smith grousing about New York traffic being shut down when Trump comes to New York, telling Chris Wallace, "You know how we love to bitch about -- um complain about that."

Just a little oopsie. Nothing to see here, Fox viewers, move on.

After some discussion about how great Mike Pompeo will be as CIA director because he asked those "hard questions" on the Benghazi!!! committee, they get down to the hardcore part of the segment.

Shep rolled video from election night, where he and Chris were talking and he bent down to recover some Chapstick. From there, it rolled right on out of control.

Wallace told Smith he was "a little bit OCD because he loves his lipstick." What followed is either cringe-inducing or funny. I confess. I laughed. You should maybe laugh too, because it's that kind of week.

Shep needled Wallace. "You're not a nice man. guess what came in the mail today?"

"You must be happy with that chapstick fetish. you must be like a pig in slop," Wallace shot back.

"Google the word and realize that is not what i have. The fine people at Pfizer were apparently watching --" Smith parried.

And now, a word from our sponsor?

"Do you think anybody -- do you think any normal person would be that excited about getting chapstick?," Wallace asked.

At that point, Smith dumped the boxload of free Chapstick on the desk, and one fell off.

"Should i ask someone else to pick this up? Should the big anchor have an underling or do it myself?," he asked.

"No, you could have wait until we're off the air. why are you excited about getting the chapstick -- the chapstick? It's like 29 cents."

Smith delivers the zinger. "I can't suck up properly without the chapstick."

After some back and forth about football and the like, Wallace broke up the monotony by wishing Shep Smith a good weekend with all his Chapstick.

Smith, objecting, left it with, "Well, you make it sound fetish-y, and that's weird."

I'm wondering what all those old folks watching Fox News in the afternoon thought about that, especially given the fact that Shep Smith is gay. Was it all a show to prove that gay guys are funny just like everyone else? Whatever it was, it was a strange but also weirdly funny exchange.

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