Half Naked Man Appears In Background Of Arizona Dem's Zoom Call

One would think that after nearly three years of pandemic-friendly virtual meetings, people would have figured out how to behave on Zoom. But one would be wrong.

During a meeting of Pima County (Arizona) Board Supervisors on Tuesday, a half naked man in a Speedo appeared in the background of Supervisor Dr. Matt Heinz's screen. Heinz quickly shut off his video — but not before his friend had an opportunity to lift up his shirt and show us what he was working with.

Heinz — the only person not physically present for the meeting — was taking the call from his cabin on a cruise ship in the Caribbean.

The physician later referred to Speedo man as his "travel companion." And although he is openly gay, Heinz made sure to clarify that the 24-year-old man is not his boyfriend, his fiancé or a sex worker.

(YouTube: Pima County Arizona)

Heinz said he's not sure why everyone is making such a big deal about this Zoom incident.

After all, it's no different than your pet or your kid causing a distraction on your Zoom call.

"Like the cat playing with a toy in the background on the sofa, on the back of the sofa, when you’re supposed to be listening to a subject matter expert about something, and you can only focus on the cat," he told The Advocate. "Or a little kid escaped from bath time and went skittering across the floor, or my own dog during board meetings."

He also took to Twitter to defend himself.

He also told The Advocate that if it had been a bikini-clad woman in the background, no one would have mentioned it. Plus, you should thank him for taking the meeting at all!

"I have three full-time jobs," he said. "I figured that at least I get a little credit for participating remotely in this board meeting because of my commitment to my constituents and public service."

Lighten up, Dr. Heinz. It's not like you pulled a Jeffrey Toobin.

Just own it and admit that it's funny. And maybe blur your background on the next vacation.