House Speaker tries to prove he’s cool on podcast, but what he does with his hands might be the most awkward thing you’ll see today

House Speaker Mike Johnson just gave his critics something new to talk about. He tried to make a “hang loose” hand sign on a podcast, but it looked really awkward. The Republican from Louisiana was trying to show he’s cool and connected to modern culture. But the whole thing turned into a cringe-worthy moment that’s now spreading everywhere.

According to HuffPost, the moment happened during a preview of an interview shared by Katie Miller, who hosts the podcast. Miller knows politics well. She used to speak for the Trump administration and is married to White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller. She asked Johnson a simple question: “You know who Jelly Roll is?”

You might think Johnson would just say “Yes,” but he went a different way. The Speaker replied with attitude, saying “Do I know” and then tried to flash the Hawaiian “shaka” or “hang loose” sign. If you don’t know, the shaka needs just the thumb and pinky to stick out. This is where things went wrong fast. Johnson messed it up because one of his hands clearly had three fingers out instead of two. It’s hard to watch because you can tell he was really trying to look relatable, but it didn’t work.

This awkward move shows Johnson’s ongoing struggle with appearing relatable

This clumsy attempt to seem hip doesn’t come as a big shock. Johnson has a reputation for being what many would call extremely uncool. This latest try at coolness also comes after ongoing criticism about his strong loyalty to President Trump. His devotion to the former president has put him in difficult situations, similar to how Trump’s accusations have affected other politicians.

Even with the very visible hand signal failure, Johnson did confirm he actually knows the rapper-singer. He kept going by saying, “Yes, we have selfies together.” He was talking about a photo he took with Jelly Roll and Kid Rock at a UFC event back in November 2024. So he clearly has the connections, but maybe he should just use words next time.

If you thought the messed-up hand sign was the only uncomfortable moment in the interview, you’d be mistaken. Johnson also used the interview to talk about culture wars. He joined the right-wing voices in criticizing the NFL’s choice of Bad Bunny for the Super Bowl halftime show. Honestly, I think Bad Bunny puts on a great show, so I’m not sure what the problem was. But Johnson had a completely different idea for the event.

When asked for his different idea, Johnson suggested another kind of performance. He said, “In my view, you would have Lee Greenwood, or role models doing that.” Lee Greenwood, who is 83 years old, is mainly known these days for playing God Bless the U.S.A. at events supporting President Trump.

While that’s a classic song, that suggestion is definitely not the vibe you’d expect for a huge, modern Super Bowl halftime show. Trump’s questionable judgment in choosing associates has been well-documented, including what Jeffrey Epstein allegedly said about him.

That choice just proves the idea that Johnson might be completely out of touch with what younger audiences want. If the goal was to show he’s connected to mainstream culture, suggesting an 83-year-old artist as a replacement for a global superstar probably wasn’t the best plan.

Johnson wasn’t alone in the interview, though. His wife, Kelly Johnson, joined him for the talk. In a different clip of the podcast, she shared her thoughts on how men’s brains work. She explained her theory that men’s brains are like “waffles” that have “little compartments.”