Morning shows aren’t usually the most exciting television — and with good reason. Most of us can only handle so much action when we’re just waking up and barely caffeinated, especially in the middle of a coronavirus pandemic when there’s so much bad news every day. (Seriously, first thing in the morning, all I want is videos of puppies and someone to tell me I’m OK.)
But something truly unforgettable happened last week during the taping of the Paula and Leon, morning show for Israel’s Channel 12. One of its guests, children’s entertainer Nati (Einat Madani), who is known as Nati Heg’ati Hof’ati (roughly translated as “Nati, I arrived, I performed”), went into labor while on-air. Really!
Here’s how it went down: Paula and Leon, a married couple, were interviewing Lilly Perelman, the head nurse at Israel’s Clalit Health Services, in honor of Nurses’ Appreciation Day. Suddenly, Leon noticed that Nati — who made an appearance on the show to talk about the harsh reality for children’s entertainers during the pandemic — was experiencing some pretty brutal contractions.
“Contraction! We have contractions in the studio,” he announced, calling out, “Nurse!”
Fortunately, of course, a top-notch nurse was right beside her. “You’re having contractions? Really?” Perelman asked Madani, who was there in her full entertainer uniform — red pinafore, pigtails, and all.
חשבתם שראיתם הכל?
צירים בשידור חי אצל פאולה וליאון pic.twitter.com/4G6oMXl9OF— Eran Swissa (@EranSwissa) May 12, 2020
“I swear,” Nati breathlessly replied.
While Paula yelped and screamed, the nurse remained cool as a cucumber.
“No, no, Paula, don’t freak out,” she cautioned the co-host, staying in her chair as Paula ran over to Nati. ( A reminder: While things in Israel are slowly returning to relative normalcy, we are still in the midst of a pandemic, my peeps!) She asked Nati how far apart her contractions are, and if this was her first baby. (It’s not — it’s her third!).
Paula then offered Nati a cup of water (which she told Nati she did not touch, although, girl, you’re still breaking social distancing). Leon asked for a commercial break to get Nati the help she needs, while the saintly nurse asked the show’s host not to stress the actress out anymore. I mean, let’s face it, being in labor in the middle of a TV show is stressful enough! (And yet, despite being rendered speechless from the contractions, Nati certainly managed to keep her cool!)
As the show headed into a commercial break, Paula helped Nati out of the studio. She was rushed to the hospital, where she gave birth to a beautiful baby. She posted an announcement and this darling picture on her Facebook page.
We’re so glad everyone is happy and healthy, and mazel tov to Nati, who certainly gave an unforgettable performance!
