Turns out it’s Kiss All the Time, Present TV Occasionally over on Good Morning Britain , as Ed Balls planted a smooch on co-star Richard Arnold after being inspired by Harry Styles.
The ex-One Direction star made headlines over the weekend after opening Saturday Night Live by jokingly addressing claims that he “queerbaits” his fans. The term has been used to describe celebrities who hint at being part of the LGBTQ+ community without officially confirming their sexuality.
“Back then, people seemed to pay a lot of attention to the clothes I was wearing, something called queerbaiting,” he said on Saturday (14 March), referring to his previous stints on the sketch show.
Later in the monologue, Styles – who was promoting his new album Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally – planted a kiss on cast member Ben Marshall before telling the crowd: “Now that’s queerbaiting!”
After discussing the TV moment on GMB on Monday (16 March), presenter Balls was seen pretending to brush his teeth with co-host Susanna Reid saying: “You were just leaning forward, Ed. What are you doing?”
Despite Reid’s horrified reaction, Arnold then told Balls: “I thought you were going in for one. Shall we give them what they want?”
The pair then shared an unnecessarily loud peck on the lips as an impressed Reid stared at them in disbelief. “Lip-smackingly good,” Balls said. “That is what’s known as Susanna Reid baiting.”
“Exactly,” Arnold added. “I’ll leave you with a class act in the meantime.”
The former Labour politician has form for creating cringeworthy TV moments, having recreated Psy’s viral “Gangnam Style” dance on Strictly Come Dancing back in 2016. While in 2024, Balls accidentally kicked the back of co-host Susanna Reid’s head during a segment about the seating on planes.
Speaking about the live moment two years on, Reid admitted that she “was cross” with Balls over the incident. “Honestly, no lasting damage,” she told The Telegraph at the weekend. “Although my eyesight did go blurry for about 20 minutes.”
Styles both was the host and musical guest for Saturday Night Live’s show last weekend. When he wasn’t poking fun at himself, he was taking shots at Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor in his opening monologue.
Speaking about how he is “tremendously boring”, Styles said: “As a British man who spent a lot of his life in the public eye, I can assure you, there’s something nice about being boring. It’s better than the alternative.”
An image of Mountbatten-Windsor in the back of a police car following his arrest last month then appeared onscreen.
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