Mom's Hilarious News Report of Toddler's Public Tantrum Viewed 14M Times: 'Terrorist'

A mom's hilarious literal news report of her 2-year-old son's public tantrum has gone viral online, with a situation that most parents will relate to. For those without kids, it's just outright funny.

Former news reporter Kayla Sullivan shared the video to TikTok on January 2 and has gained over 14 million views already. Now Sullivan works in PR, but her previous career saw her as a TV political reporter for FOX59 and CBS4Indy, along with being a news anchor for WLFI.

It might not be intense international relations, but the breaking news at hand is just as relevant, as Sullivan hilariously narrated the meltdown of her son, who she dubbed a "2-year-old terrorist," in an Olive Garden.

"Reporting live from outside my son's bedroom where he is currently being detained until naptime is over," she said. "Now this story does involve a minor so I can't release specifics. But what I can confirm is my son is a 2-year-old terrorist who held me hostage at the Olive Garden earlier today.

"It's important to note the friends I met there do NOT have children and likely never will after witnessing this situation first hand.

"This is an active investigation but authorities believed the proper precautions were taken. I brought my son's favorite snacks and even risked judgment from other moms by bringing an iPad, but not even Cocomelon could have stopped this meltdown."

The former news reporter said: "After several cries demanding quote 'chet-chup' a good Samaritan waitress miraculously understood it as the English word ketchup and brought him a bottle. Unfortunately, her good deed was later punished after he threw a ketchup covered fork at her. Not all heroes wear capes, but this one should have worn an apron. You know, these toddler outbursts are becoming increasingly common, as more and more parents try out the new craze 'gentle parenting' and completely suck at it."

Despite Sullivan's situation being a relatable one, it was based on a combination of her previous experiences with her "2-year-old terrorist," she told Newsweek.

"I kind of took pieces from different tantrums, he's thrown in the past, and [it's] something that he definitely has done. I do bring his favorite snacks, I do bring an iPad in public and I do fear that people are judging me, you know, and a lot of times you have to take them out and bring them to the car because they're being so bad, and he has screamed for ketchup," said Sullivan.

"Maybe not all of those things happened in that one incident but they've definitely happened before. So all of my facts were true, they just may not have happened in the order that I presented them in or in the exact same location or whatever. But I took things that he's done, and I turned them into a news report."

Sullivan's favorite part? Like many other viewers, it's the "not all heroes wear capes, but this one should have worn an apron" line. "I feel like oftentimes news reporters, myself included when I was a news reporter, we just say the cheesiest lines or we'll just say things that make you kind of be like, 'oh, gosh, that was cheesy, but it was kind of good too'."

Originally, Sullivan started her TikTok news reporting series with a popular challenge asking users to try out their news reporter voice—something she's a pro at. Her first viral hit was a report on her son's diaper filled with "a bunch of puns, like 'e's resisting undress,'" which Sullivan actually thought was way funnier than this one. The internet, however, disagrees.

The humorous video has taken over online, branching onto other social media sites. Steve Harvey shared the video to Twitter on January 3 with a laughing emoji.

Others have similarly applauded the clip online, with some relating and others vowing to never have kids.

"This is simply one of the best things i've ever watched," noted one TikTok user.
"Allegedly, you forgot 'allegedly,'" joked one user. Sullivan dubbed the mistake "journalism 101" and vowed to "do better next time."

In a follow-up video, Sullivan provided followers with an exclusive interview with the 2-year-old, asking: "What do you have to say for yourself?"

It should come as no surprise that his only response was: "Chet-chup."