Surgeon General Vivek Murthy's 4-Year-Old Son Crashes CBS Interview

Surgeon General Vivek Murthy's four-year-old son made a surprise appearance on live TV on Wednesday morning as his father tried to give an interview to CBS This Morning.

Murthy, who was appointed by President Joe Biden, was speaking to CBS's Anthony Mason and Gayle King about the recent decision to halt the rollout of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a joint statement on Tuesday saying they were investigating six cases of a "rare and severe" type of blood clot that reportedly occurred in six women who received the Johnson & Johnson shot.

Murthy was speaking in front of a greenscreen displaying the crest of the U.S. Public Health Service, but the screen kept becoming distorted.

King eventually broached the issue with Murthy and the reason for the wobbly green screen was discovered.

"Dr. Murthy, something keeps popping up on your screen. We want viewers to know we see it, too," King said.

"We don't know what the hell it is," she went on. "Everything is safe. Everything is good but there's something. It looks like a dog or something popping up around you but all is good."

"I'll show you what it is," Murthy said. "It's my little boy."

The surgeon general lifted the four-year-old onto his lap so he could be seen properly. King and Mason burst into laughter and clapping could be heard in the studio.

"So sorry," King laughed, while Mason could be heard saying "Sweetheart."

"But at least we can explain. Thank you, thank you," King said. "Good morning to your son."

Murthy continued to answer questions about the vaccine as his son sat on his lap. He explained that the pause in the J&J vaccine rollout was to allow for an investigation into the blood clot reports and to communicate with healthcare professionals.

"Kudos to you never even missing a beat with a son who clearly loves you, he's climbing all over you," King said at the end of the interview.

"Very smooth," Mason added. Murthy said his son was four and they were very close.

Hugo Rojo, CBS News senior communications manager, shared the interview on Twitter after the broadcast, noting Murthy's reaction to the unscripted moment: "May we all be as smooth as @vivek_murthy @Surgeon_General was during his @CBSThisMorning interview today when his son wanted a morning hug."