Archive · 7 Aug 2026
New Zealand Councillor Joins Council Meeting With Underwear Drying
A politician named Jo Galer from the city of Dunedin in New Zealand joined an online council meeting from her bathroom.
Her underwear and some other clothes were drying in the background, and everyone on the video call could see them.
The mayor, Sophie Barker, kindly pointed out that everyone could see her washing.
Jo Galer said she did not mind and simply kept talking about her points.
A video of the moment was shared online and quickly became very popular.
Many people on social media talked about it and found it funny.
Some people said it was an odd choice for a public meeting.
Others said she could have used a virtual background, a feature in apps like Zoom and Teams that hides what is behind you.
Jo Galer did not seem embarrassed at all and carried on with the meeting.
Dunedin City Councillor Jo Galer joined a council video call from her bathroom on Monday (Aug 3) with her underwear and other clothes drying in full view.
Mayor Sophie Barker stepped in to tell Galer that everyone in the meeting could see her washing.
Galer responded that seeing her washing was no problem and continued with her talking points.
The clip of the incident went viral on social media, drawing widespread comment.
Social media users noted she could have used a virtual background available in tools like Teams, Zoom and WebEx to avoid the situation.
- Who
- Dunedin City Councillor Jo Galer and Mayor Sophie Barker
- What
- Galer attended a council video meeting from her bathroom with drying underwear visible, and the clip went viral
- When
- Monday, August 3
- Where
- Dunedin, New Zealand, via a video call
- Why
- Galer joined the meeting from her bathroom while her washing was drying; the article does not state a specific reason
Lighthearted / Unconcerned Viewers
Critics / Virtual Background Advocates
Reaction to the viral video
Lighthearted / Unconcerned Viewers
Some social media users said the incident was no big deal, noting people are too busy to care, with one commenter saying the bigger concern was the person in the shower rather than the drying underwear.
Critics / Virtual Background Advocates
Critics called it an odd choice and pointed out that every tool like Teams, Zoom and WebEx has virtual backgrounds that should be used, especially on TV, adding that 'it's 2026, not 2018.'
- Politician
- Jo Galer
- Title
- Dunedin City Councillor
- Mayor
- Sophie Barker
- Date
- Monday, August 3
- Location
- Dunedin, New Zealand
- Incident
- Underwear and clothes visible drying in the background during a council video call
- Aftermath
- Video went viral on social media
- Tools Mentioned
- Teams, Zoom, WebEx (virtual backgrounds available)