The frightening moment a Louisiana Republican senator suddenly froze during a TV interview was caught on air. 

Senator John Kennedy, 73, from Louisiana, surprised viewers during a live Fox Business interview when he suddenly froze mid-sentence, sitting silent on screen for seven full seconds.

Kennedy was speaking to host Larry Kudlow on Tuesday about the Trump administration’s stance on sanctuary cities when the concerning moment occurred.

The senator began to trail off while referencing how Jesus loves immigrants.

‘Jesus loves them, but everybody else thinks ….’ Kennedy said, before mumbling a few barely-audible words.

‘Everybody else thinks…’ he repeated before looking off into the distance and going completely silent.

The senator remained frozen on camera with his lips slightly parted and eyes staring forward as he stood motionless.

Kudlow appeared caught off guard but quickly cut in and blamed the bizarre moment on an apparent tech issue.

The Senator’s office told the Daily Mail that the reporting on the incident, first picked up by The Daily Beast was false.

‘The Daily Beast is mistaken. During my interview with Larry Kudlow on Fox Business yesterday, there was an issue with my earpiece. I heard a loud screeching noise with a lot of static — it sounded like a 747 taking off,’ the Senator explained to the Daily Mail in a statement.

‘Rand Paul experienced the same situation in his interview before mine. I paused speaking until the interference ended, assuming we were not on air. Once I could hear Kudlow again, I resumed speaking. To confirm the facts, one only needs to contact Kudlow’s producer, a step the Daily Beast intern evidently skipped,’ Kennedy remarked.

Louisiana Senator John Kennedy, 73 (pictured right), left viewers stunned during a live Fox Business interview when he abruptly froze mid-sentence and sat silently on screen for a full seven seconds

Kennedy was speaking to host Larry Kudlow on Tuesday about the Trump administration’s stance on sanctuary cities when the concerning moment occurred (pictured speaking at a hearing in DC earlier this month)

‘I guess we had some more technical problems. That was the same mic we lost with Senator Rand Paul,’ Kudlow said.

 The average age of government leaders has been highly scrutinized in recent months as members of Congress of both political parties have experienced health scares, with some dying in office. 

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer was rushed to the hospital for dehydration as scorching temperatures in Washington, D.C., reach 100 degrees last month.

The senator, 74, was at the Senate gym in the morning and reportedly ‘got lightheaded,’ according to his office.

The top Democrat was taken to the hospital ‘out of an abundance of caution,’ his office also noted at the time.

Former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, 83, fell back in February and was subsequently seen using a wheelchair. He also experienced a fall in December of 2024 which resulted in a sprained wrist.

McConnell has suffered on-camera ‘freezing’ episodes similar to Kennedy’s as well, both of which raised serious health concerns.  

In August 2023, McConnell froze for 30 seconds when asked if he will run for re-election in Kentucky as he made another troubling appearance just weeks after suddenly stopping in the middle of a press conference.

The then-81-year-old didn’t respond when a reporter pressed him on his political future.

McConnell appeared to register the question about whether he would run for re-election in 2026 during the event, before he abruptly went silent and stared straight ahead.

Mitch McConnell, 81, froze again in August 2023 while answering questions from reporters in Kentucky , in a troubling on-camera appearance just weeks after he froze mid-press conference while speaking just off the Senate floor

An aide had to step in and repeat the question at the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce Government Forum in Covington.

He was then led away, sparking more concerns about his health and further questions over his position in the GOP leadership.

McConnell’s office later said the senator was ‘lightheaded’, and insisted he was ‘fine’, but he would consult a doctor as a precaution.

Most of the serious recent health incidents involving members of Congress have plagued Democrats.

Last December, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, 85, fell during a trip to Luxembourg, and subsequently underwent hip replacement surgery.

Virginia Democrat Congressman Gerry Connolly died at the age of 75 last earlier this year, shortly after sharing that he was diagnosed with esophageal cancer.

Over the past 15 months, five other Democratic members of Congress also died while serving out their terms.

Connolly’s colleague Rep. Sylvester Turner (D-Texas) died at the age of 70 in March from unknown reasons. His passing came amid reports he was battling cancer in his jaw since before election in November 2024.

Rep. Raúl Grijalva of Arizona died of lung cancer at the age of 77 on March 13 and 87-year-old Rep. Bill Pascrell of New Jersey died after weeks of respiratory issues on August 21, 2024.

Then Texas Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee died at the age of 74 of pancreatic cancer on July 19, 2024 and New Jersey Rep. Donald Payne Jr., 65, died of undisclosed health reasons on April 24.