Daniel Kaluuya and Tyriq Withers Go Viral for Bizarre Airport Interview Amid Nationwide FAA Ground Stop
(Illustration: USA Current Affaires)
Sometimes the best celebrity interview of the week happens entirely by accident — in an airport terminal, in front of a local news camera, with nowhere to go and nothing to do but laugh about it.
Actors Daniel Kaluuya and Tyriq Withers found themselves stranded at Eugene Airport in Oregon on Friday, November 13, when the Federal Aviation Administration's nationwide ground stop brought air travel across the United States to a standstill. The pair had been due to fly to Los Angeles, and had already boarded their flight when the order came through. Instead of taking off, they were forced to deboard — along with an estimated 1.5 million passengers affected nationwide — and wait it out in the terminal like everyone else.
That is where KVAL News reporter Gold Meadows found them. What followed was one of the most unexpected — and most shared — celebrity interviews of the year: two Hollywood stars, stuck in a small Oregon airport, turning a travel nightmare into pure comedy gold.
Withers, 28, set the tone immediately. "I just want to thank God and the FAA for protecting us, post-blue wave as well," he said, in a nod to the Democrats' midterm election wins. It was the kind of line that could only come from someone determined to find the funny side of a cancelled flight — and it was only the beginning.
A Decade-Old Meme, Revived at the Gate
Withers then reached back a decade for his next bit, reviving a famous viral local-news interview that fans instantly recognised as the "Bella Noche" moment. "It's really upsetting me and my homegirl, because if you can't go to the airport, where the hell can you go?" he said, delivering the line with the same deadpan energy that made the original clip a piece of internet history.
Beside him, Kaluuya, 37, could not keep it together. The Oscar-winning star of "Get Out" and "Black Panther" stepped out of frame laughing, before composing himself enough to share his own take on the situation. "I feel grateful," he said. "I feel good, man. I'm like, we're out here. I'm in Eugene, Oregon."
The pair then formed the letter "O" with their hands, and Kaluuya delivered the sign-off: "O-way or no way!" It was chaotic, joyful and completely unscripted — the exact opposite of a polished red-carpet interview, and exactly why the clip took off.
Within hours, the interview was everywhere. Clips of the exchange spread across social media, with fans sharing the moment and joking that the two actors clearly need to work on a project together. That wish may not be as far-fetched as it sounds: Withers has previously named Kaluuya as an actor he would like to work with, and after this display of natural chemistry, plenty of viewers will be hoping a director is watching.
Why the Clip Took Off
Part of the clip's appeal is how ordinary the situation was. Kaluuya and Withers did not complain, did not hide and did not rush past the camera. They leaned into the absurdity of it, and viewers loved them for it.
The timing helped, too. The FAA announced the unprecedented nationwide ground stop just before 4 p.m. ET on Friday, citing "extraordinary circumstances" and "reasons of safety", and lifted it on Friday evening roughly four hours later. For millions of travellers, it was a day of delays, cancellations and confusion — and a clip of two stars laughing through the same chaos felt like a small moment of relief.
Neither actor has said why they were in Eugene in the first place, and that mystery has only added to the fascination. Withers, who stars in "Him" and "Reminders of Him" and appeared in PEOPLE's 2026 Sexiest Man Alive issue, is one of Hollywood's fastest-rising young stars, while Kaluuya remains one of the most respected actors of his generation.
Brooks Nader was also caught up in the same ground stop, stranded on a private jet, and the disruption touched stars and ordinary travellers alike. But while most passengers spent Friday evening frustrated and exhausted, Kaluuya and Withers managed to turn a grounded flight into a viral moment — and a masterclass in making the best of a bad day at the airport.
Would you want to see Daniel Kaluuya and Tyriq Withers star in a film together? Tell us in the comments.
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