RYLAN Clark was left in hysterics as Scott Mills made a VERY awkward gaffe during the first live Eurovision semi-final.
Presenter , 52, who was co-hosting the BBC’s coverage alongside , 36, stumbled over his words while introducing ‘s act – accidentally making a bold – and entirely untrue – claim.
Speaking live from ‘s St. Jakobshalle on Tuesday night, the DJ enthusiastically narrated to viewers: “He’s the first gay person in Croatia!”;;
When a puzzled Rylan responded with, “What?”;; he quickly corrected himself.
“Sorry, no no, no, hang on, wait, sorry, that’s wrong,”;; he assured, before confirming: “He’s the first openly gay person in Croatia to be at the .”;;
The pair – who are providing coverage with and – sent social media into overdrive with the blunder.
Taking to X, formerly , one wrote: “NOT SCOTT READING MARKO WAS THE FIRST GAY PERSON IN CROATIA I AM IN TEARS.”;;
Another shared: “Hahaha @scott_mills ‘This is the first gay person in #Croatia‘.”;;
One more chimed in with: “‘He’s the first gay person in croatia’ uhm scott idk if you know this but gay people tend to love visiting the adriatic.”;;
The singer in question, Croatian artist Marko BoÃ…¡njak, 21, rose to fame as a finalist on The Voice Kids Adria in 2015.
Known for his powerful vocals and emotive performances, he has since built a loyal fanbase across the Balkans.
Marko, who is openly gay, has been praised for using his platform to champion LGBTQ+ visibility in the region.
His Eurovision debut with the song, Posion Cake, marks a significant cultural milestone for Croatia.
Scott’s slip-up wasn’t the only hiccup during the broadcast, though.
At another point in the show, viewers were left puzzled when a during Switzerland’s slot.
As per tradition, last year’s and the big five (, , , and ,) automatically qualify for .
However, the finalists get to perform their song during the semi-finals, with Spain, Italy and Switzerland taking to the stage in the first instalment.
Swiss artist Zoë Më performed Voyage featuring an arty one camera shot throughout the duration of her song.
The 24-year-old was seated as she sang her hauntingly beautiful song using armography to express emotion.
However as she reached the bridge, the camera spanned round the singer’s side and appeared to drop away.
The camera returned to Zoë’s face as she took to her feet for the dramatic section.
She whipped from side-to-side as she sang Faire un, faire un voyage
Faire un, faire un voyage
Faire un, faire un voyage
Avec moi
This translates to Go on, go on a journey
Go on, go on a journey
Go on, go on a journey
With me
After a number of freeze frames flashed on the screen, the camera then returned to a view from the front before spinning round to show Zoë from behind, singing to the audience with their phones lit up.
However, the camerawork left viewers confused.
It looked as if the manoeuvre was not planned as audience directions appeared on the archway of the stage.
The lit up sign read: “Please turn on your phone light now.”;;
We should say there as well, I think there was a couple of little tech problems
Rylan Clark
After the song ended addressed the issue in his commentary.
He explained: “Gorgeous song there from Zoë, she’s like a young in .
“We should say there as well, I think there was a couple of little tech problems with that one single shot camera.”;;
Despite trying to play it down, viewers took to X demanding “justice”;; for the act.
One wrote: “Oh no staging is really cool but they had some problems with the cameras,”;; along with a crying emoji.
A second suggested: “JUSTICE FOR ZOE ME AND KALEEN ROBBED DIVAS WITH THE CAMERAS.”;;
“The cameras breaking???”;;, enquired a third user.
While someone else excitedly posted. “THE CAMERAS CRASHED.”;;
Another joked: “Not the Swiss delegation’s Head of Finance unplugging all the cameras at the end of Zoe’s performance.”;;
And a sixth fan added: “Oh no. It went a bit wrong with the cameras there.”;;
However, the issue will not affect Zoe’s chances as she is already through to the .
Ten acts made it through – Albania, Estonia, Iceland, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, San Marino,, and Ukraine.
Five acts were eliminated – Azerbaijan, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, and Slovenia.
The second semi-final airs on BBC One on Thursday at 8pm.
Along with 16 acts trying to make it into the final, the , with their song will also perform.
