The 2025 papal conclave may be the most eventful one yet.
Not only is the conclave taking place after Pope Francis passed away just hours after meeting with U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance – earning him the nickname “pope killer” – but even more eyes are on the Vatican this time around after the buzzy Ralph Fiennes drama Conclave captured the papal drama that could be brewing behind the scenes.
So, surely there could have been a better time for CBS News anchor Tony Dokoupil to crack a dirty joke on the air.
Dokoupil is going viral on social media for saying the catholic officials are “rawdogging” the vote after it was reported that their electronic devices were confiscated.
Dokoupil made the comment when Josh Allen pointed out on the live broadcast, “The one thing we know they’re not doing is checking Instagram because their devices have all been confiscated.”
“I believe the kids call it rawdogging it,” Dokoupil replied. “If you’re gonna go through a long period of time with no electronic device.”
The moment quickly went viral on X where users were torn between disbelief and horror. As one user put it, “This phrase and the conclave do not go together,” while another noted this is “not the time or the place to use that term.”
“Excuse me WHAT?” someone wrote on X.
“‘Kids’ and ‘rawdogging’ have no business being said in a broadcast about the catholic church, boy I tell ya,” another X user commented.
Another viewer joked, “If the cardinals are rawdogging, it’s gonna be a while before we see that white smoke!” Indeed, the Vatican released black smoke on first day of the papal vote, signaling that the cardinals were not able to settle the vote and choose a successor for Pope Francis.
The shocking moment comes at a complicated time for CBS. Stephen Colbert and 60 Minutes host Scott Pelley recently called out the network’s parent company, Paramount, for infringing on the show’s journalistic independence amid its pending merger with Skydance Media that will require President Trump’s approval. Dokoupil also recently made headlines for his viral interview with former NFL coaching legend Bill Belichick.
This also may be one of the most watched papal votes in history, all thanks to Conclave. According to a report from Politico, some of the clerics involved in the vote have even watched the film ahead of the vote.
For now, the conclave will continue into Thursday, May 8, which means CBS News and Dokoupil will have a lot more to report on – and the cardinals will have to continue “rawdogging” for another day.