Barking Dog Threatens To Derail Live Interview — And Then Things Get Really Weird

A CNBC interview careened all the way off the rails on Monday morning, interrupted first by a dog barking and then by a boxer-clad man walking through the frame.

Karen Firestone, CEO and Chairman of Aureus Asset Management joined host Aaron Ross Sorkin on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” to discuss the state of the economy and how another COVID surge could potentially impact economic growth in the coming months. And while her predictions may turn out to be accurate, what was going on in the periphery of her interview stole the show.

WATCH:

Just when you think the barking dogs are the weirdest part of this CNBC hit … you see what walks through the 0:35 second mark. pic.twitter.com/gR2C5YRjrN

— Virginia Kruta (@VAKruta) July 18, 2022

Sorkin began to pose a question to Firestone when the sound of barking echoed from the house behind her.

“I see we another guest that’s joining us, and we appreciate that. It’s the dog days of summer, people talk about it that way,” Sorkin cracked.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” Firestone replied.

“Don’t be sorry. You know, we love this. It adds to the — sort of — this is a live show, that’s what we enjoy,” Sorkin added, as Firestone continued to apologize. “But help us with this. Where are we now versus where are we in the fall I don’t know if it’s the conventional wisdom or the prevailing wisdom? But the dogs seem to think that the dog days are going to get a little more exciting, but not in a good way come September.”

While Sorkin was talking, a man dressed only in a pair of boxer shorts shuffled through the room, walking straight through the frame behind Firestone.

“I think she’s excited,” Firestone said, referring to the dog.

“She’s excited about the markets currently? I like that,” Sorkin agreed.

Firestone appeared to recover quickly, joking that her dog watched “Squawk Box” on a regular basis and was very excited about the markets.

She went on to say that a lot could depend on whether or not another COVID surge triggered another wave of lockdowns or other mitigation measures that could impact multiple economic sectors. The other major issue she mentioned was inflation, saying that it would be very difficult for the markets to do well into the fall months if inflation continued to rage out of control.