Rory Stewart has explained his unusual stare during a Newsnight episode that made him a meme. The former Conservative MP-turned-political pundit appeared on BBC’s Newsnight last week to weigh in on the latest headlines.
When his fellow panellist, New Statesman’s political editor Ailbhe Rea, mentioned AI, Rory’s head turned to her at a stunning speed. He appeared to stare at her intensely for a duration of some seconds with a focused expression, unwittingly becoming an internet sensation.
Stewart's explanation on Rest Is Politics
Now the Rest Is Politics podcast host has commented on what really happened as he was quizzed by co-host Alastair Campbell, who exclaims ‘what were you doing?’ Rory jokes that his physical language in the moment was similar to Ed Miliband’s sandwich shot, a now-famous picture taken at an unfortunate moment showing the Labour politician tucking into a bacon butty in 2014.
He says: ‘A little bit like Ed Miliband, I’m kind of a bit weird. ‘My body language and the way that I move is a bit weird. ‘I remember poor Miliband got in terrible trouble eating a bacon sandwich.’
Snapping his head at the other panellist was part of his weird ‘physical energy and the way that I move,’ he adds.
Message from Ailbhe Rea
Alastair points out that he then ‘leant into that poor woman and you were almost in her space as she was trying to contribute to the debate.’
Rory shares a ‘sweet’ message he says Ailbhe sent to her after the show, and that he didn’t know her from before the recording. The message read: ‘Rory hi, just wanted to say solidarity on becoming the main character on the internet today. I hope it hasn’t bothered you, but I just wanted to reassure you that, in case it has, I didn’t mind and knew you were just being polite and attentive. Take care and all the best.’
While in the studio, his mannerisms didn’t stand out and it was ‘only when it appeared on television that it suddenly looked unbelievably weird,’ Rory adds.
Social media reaction
Social media users commended Rory for ‘owning’ the meme as it began to make the rounds, including posting one of them on his X profile.
