Justin Verlander’s Hilarious Zoom Name Mixup Goes Viral
In the age of Zoom calls, even seasoned professionals can fall victim to a hot mic moment. During a virtual media session with Justin Verlander on January 13, one reporter hilariously learned this lesson the hard way.
The call, featuring Verlander and Giants’ president of baseball operations Buster Posey, was running smoothly until an unmuted journalist’s voice suddenly interrupted Posey mid-answer. “Look at Justin’s name,” the reporter announced, pointing out that Justin appeared to be logged into the Zoom account of his wife, supermodel Kate Upton.
The moment left everyone amused, especially Justin, who decided to join in on the fun. “I’ll change it, alright? I’ll change it,” he joked. Moments later, his name on the Zoom screen switched to “JUSTIN VERLANDER (not Kate),” earning laughs from the group.
The reporter, later identified as Taylor Wirth of NBC Sports, quickly realized his mistake and went silent. Giants vice president of media relations Matt Chisholm used the opportunity to remind everyone to keep themselves muted unless asking a question.
The lighthearted blunder didn’t stay confined to the Zoom session. The clip soon found its way onto social media, where Wirth embraced the moment by sharing it on X (formerly known as Twitter) with a clever meme. Fellow users joined in, sharing their own embarrassing unmuted moments. “Happens to the best of us,” one person commented, recounting how they once ended a Zoom call with “I love you” in front of hundreds of coworkers, thinking they were muted.
Justin’s sense of humor added to the charm of the situation. The 41-year-old pitcher, who signed a one-year, $15 million deal with the San Francisco Giants on January 11, is no stranger to being in the spotlight. Alongside his stellar baseball career, Justin is known for his high-profile marriage to Kate Upton. The couple met during a 2012 commercial shoot, got engaged in 2016, and tied the knot in a romantic ceremony on November 4, 2017 — just days after the pro baseball pitcher won the World Series with the Houston Astros. They share a 5-year-old daughter, Genevieve.
