The 5 wildest adult toy bloopers on live TV - and some Kiwi classics made it

This ranking was written by Adult toy Mega Store's resident sex educator, Emma Hewitt-Johnson

Live television offers something increasingly rare - an unedited view of events as they unfold. There are no second takes, no opportunity to reconsider your wording and crucially, no chance for a producer to ask whether anyone is carrying a dildo or even better a butt plug.

That was the trap waiting for TVNZ’s Breakfast this Monday morning. North Canterbury Hunting Competition organiser Mat Bailey had been invited on to talk about feral cat hunting, already not the easiest subject to ease viewers into over their morning coffee. Then, with a menacing grin, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a furry tail butt plug.

As someone who talks about sex toys for a living, the whole event sent me back through the archives to look at the other times sex toys have appeared on mainstream television. And, I felt professionally obliged to rank these cameos from least to most amusing (although they all carry a level of strong amusement).

The process was neither rigorous nor fair, but everyone enjoys a ranking, so here we are.

The greatest sex toy cameos on live news

5. The BBC bookshelf dildo

In 2021, Yvette Amos appeared on BBC Wales to discuss her experience of unemployment during the pandemic. It was an important interview about a difficult period in her life, but unfortunately for Amos, there was also a large pink penis sitting on the bookshelf behind her.

It was directly above her shoulder and perfectly framed by the camera. Nobody involved in the interview acknowledged it, leaving viewers to wonder whether it had been overlooked, deliberately placed there or was somehow not what it appeared to be.

There was never any confirmation that it was indeed a dildo. Some viewers suggested it may have been a candle or novelty sculpture, but after reviewing the footage, the evidence looks fairly overwhelming.

It takes fifth place because nothing actually happens. It is just sitting there. Still, accidentally positioning what appears to be an enormous dildo directly above your head for a serious BBC interview about your mental state and welfare during a global pandemic is still worthy of a spot on the list.

4. Sky Sports discovers the risks of reporting beside football fans

In 2014, Sky Sports reporter Alan Irwin was stationed outside Everton’s training ground, attempting to update viewers on the possible transfer of Tom Cleverley. Behind him, an Everton supporter was flailing around what I can only imagine was his personal feelings towards the transfer news.

The supporter leaned into shot and pressed a large blue dildo against Irwin’s ear. Irwin barely reacted, later saying he thought someone had flicked him with their hand…

Sky Sports apologised, then decided future deadline-day reports would be safer from behind club gates. This dildo cameo caused a rule change that lasted an entire 10 years, justifying its spot at number four on the list.

Bonus points for the dildo colour matching that of the Everton kit.

3. Sky Sports fails to learn from its previous mistakes

You thought Sky Sports learnt from their mistakes?!! A decade after the Everton incident, Sky Sports journalist Kaveh Solhekol was reporting outside Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge during the 2024 transfer deadline when a man wandered into shot holding yet again, another dildo.

A staff member tried to move him along, Solhekol attempted to block the object from view and the broadcast quickly returned to the studio. When Sky came back to him later, he had completely relocated to somewhere private.

The funny thing is that the original dildo incident caused Sky Sports to stop placing reporters among fans in the first place. Ten years passed, someone apparently decided football supporters could be trusted again, and almost immediately there was another dildo on television.

That comfortably puts it above the Everton original. Also, Everton and Chelsea both play in blue, meaning the dildo torch had officially passed from one blue club to another. I don’t know what that means, but it feels important.

2. Mat Bailey’s breakfast butt plug

We’ve already covered Bailey’s entry, but it is worth going back to because quite a lot happened in a short space of time.

Tova O’Brien noticed something furry sticking out of his pocket and asked whether it was a cat’s tail. Whether she knew what she was encouraging is a question I will leave to Tova, but judging by what happened next, probably not.

Bailey pulled it out and held it up to the camera. The first look was enough to catch most viewers' eyes. He then put it to his mouth and used it as a microphone, which gave us a full view of the plug.

Since the interview aired, Bailey has split opinion among the public. He has risen to stardom for some, being praised for bringing a bit of fun and humour to morning news. Others have branded him as unprofessional, disgusting and a dick.

In any other country, a man waving a furry butt plug on Breakfast television would comfortably take the top spot. Unfortunately for Bailey, New Zealand has an unusually strong record in this field.

1. Steven Joyce gets a dildo to the dome

It flew into the media scrum and hit Joyce cleanly in the face.

Technically, it was a nine-inch penis-shaped squeaky dog toy rather than a working dildo. This is a fact people bring up every time the incident is discussed, as though it meaningfully changes what happened.

The moment went viral before virality was even a concept, and before you knew it, the world had seen a New Zealand politician make a right dick of himself.

The footage even inspired an elaborate John Oliver segment involving Peter Jackson, a choir and people dressed as giant dildos.

Bailey gave it a decent nudge, but come on. A butt plug microphone on Breakfast was never going to beat a Cabinet minister taking a flying rubber penis to the face at Waitangi. Ten years on, it remains comfortably at number one.

Which one is your favourite?