Speaker Johnson Faces Backlash Over awkward Podcast Interview
WASHINGTON D.C. – House Speaker Mike Johnson is facing criticism after a clip surfaced from an upcoming podcast interview with Katie Miller, wife of Stephen Miller, showcasing a visibly uncomfortable exchange and unusual comments from both the Speaker and his wife. The teaser for the podcast,launched in August,reveals a series of awkward moments that have quickly gone viral.
During the interview, Miller, 34, asked Johnson, 53, if he was familiar with country singer Jelly Roll, 40. Johnson responded with a scoff and an apparent attempt at a trendy gesture, flashing a “shaka” hand sign – a “hang loose” sign originating in Hawaiian culture. He then stated, ”do I know who-yes, we have selfies together!” prompting laughter from Miller and his wife, Kelly. Johnson previously posted selfies with Jelly Roll (whose real name is Jason Bradley DeFord) after attending a UFC fight at Madison Square Garden following Donald Trump’s election victory last year, alongside figures including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Kid Rock, and Tulsi Gabbard. He captioned the post, ”UFC at MSG was epic!”
The clip also features Kelly Johnson, 52, an evangelical Christian and licensed pastoral counselor, offering a peculiar analogy about men’s brains.”Men’s brains are like waffles,” she said, with the Speaker nodding in agreement. “They have little compartments, and men actually have a compartment that has nothing in it.” The clip cuts off before further explanation of the analogy.
The interview comes at a challenging time for johnson, who has recently navigated a difficult month as Speaker. He was recently forced to reverse course on releasing the Epstein files after former President Trump changed his position,and previously defended his party’s record following Republican losses in recent elections,stating,”No one shoudl read too much into last night’s election results.”
adding to the turmoil, representative Marjorie Taylor Greene announced on Friday her intention to resign from office in January, following ongoing disagreements with both Johnson and Trump.
