CNN correspondent Brian Stelter had a special guest during a recent live show — and people can’t stop talking about it.
The network’s chief media analyst appeared on the Sunday, July 20, broadcast to discuss a recent lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump against The Wall Street Journal over a letter sent to late billionaire sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. During the rather serious conversation, Stelter’s 5-year-old son kept popping in and out of frame with a smile on his face.
Stelter, 39, initially tried to ignore his son, but after the little one made more than one appearance on screen, CNN host Jessica Dean had to say something.
“Alright, Brian Stelter, thanks to you,” Dean, 39 said. “And I think you had a little helper with you, too, so give our thanks to him.”
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Stelter played along, adding, “I apologize for my 5-year-old. It’s bedtime here at the Stelter house.”
Dean, however, seemed unbothered by the interruption.
“We’re a family show, it’s always nice to have some extra hands,” she concluded.
LOL, yes, I tried my best not to break out laughing when he snuck into the camera shot https://t.co/JAVIlw4Cg9 pic.twitter.com/fHk3vBINQq
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) July 20, 2025
Social media users quickly shared their thoughts on the sweet moment, and Stelter responded, offering more insight into the situation.
“Looks like you had your assistant at your side,” one X user wrote. Stelter replied alongside a screenshot of the broadcast, showcasing one moment that his son was in frame.
“LOL, yes, I tried my best not to break out laughing when he snuck into the camera shot,” Stelter said.
Another social media user wondered if Stelter’s kids “want to be on TV” just like their dad. “Working from home ain’t easy, eh?” the same X post read.
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“Live shots from home are a blessing,” Stelter wrote back.
Stelter shares his son and a daughter with his wife, traffic anchor Jamie Shupak.
Over the years, celebrity kids have had ample opportunity to crash their parents’ live interviews — especially after the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic had some talk show hosts working from home.
Jimmy Fallon famously incorporated his kids into The Tonight Show’s remote broadcasts. During a May 2020 interview with Jon Hamm, his daughter Winnie could be heard saying, “Hey Daddy, where’s mom?” before coming into frame.
Though Fallon seemed exasperated, Hamm was a good sport, even asking what Winnie was holding on to — a “Farm Animals” coloring book.
“That’s really pretty. That’s a really pretty cow,” Hamm said about Winnie’s drawing, going back and forth about different farm animals. “Show me, is there a duck? … Anything with a beak.”
