Newshub political editor Patrick Gower became a viral sensation after a skit where he uttered the phrase: "This is the f***ing news."
But now he's revealed he almost wishes it didn't happen.
The admission came during a segment with Jono and Ben, which aired on Thursday night ahead of the weekend's election.
"I want to get known for something other than swearing," he said when host Jono Pryor asked why he didn't swear so much anymore.
"It's really quite frustrating and it really gets me down actually."
During the interview Gower also gave the comedians some advice on how to become a "serious political reporter".
"You've actually got to really give a f**k about what's happening to New Zealand," he said.
His advice to other budding political reporters is to make sure their questions count, and ask open-ended questions rather than "yes"/"no".
Gower also admitted the Jono and Ben interview wasn't really "on [his] agenda", particularly in the lead-up to the election.
"I'm actually trying to get you off the agenda," he joked.
Newshub.
