Bloomberg Interpreter’s Swag Gives Her Overnight Internet Fame

April 18, 2018 Conversations, Hurricane Sandy, Television, tumblr, Twitter, U.S., Videos, viral video, Watercooler

Tension was high Monday night as New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg addressed Hurricane Sandy and its approach into the East Coast. For most viewers, though, it wasn’t the mayor’s speech that was most captivating — it was his sign language interpreter.

The woman, later identified as Lydia Callis, was an instant hit across the web for her dramatic expressions and theatrical gestures during the speech. A flurry of tweets and a GIF-filled Tumblr quickly went viral as a result of the now pseudo-infamous interpretation.

At first, Callis was mistakenly attributed as Lydia “Calas” — a Twitter handle and Tumblr page went up with the incorrect spelling — but a correction was soon brought public.

Viewers across social media applauded her not only for her outstanding interpretations, but for giving everyone a reason to smile during a grim, stressful time. Hurricane Sandy will go down as one of the most expensive natural disasters in U.S. history, with estimates close to $20 billion.

Here’s a bit of what the Twitterverse had to say:

My mother-in-law, who is an ASL interpreter says @mikebloomberg‘s signer Lydia Callis is “amazing” and “crystral clear”. Animation helps.

— Daniel Bentley (@DJBentley) October 31, 2012

No making fun of Bloomberg’s sign-language translator. Seriously. Only love. She’s doing her job both very well, and with STYLE.

— Bruce Arthur (@bruce_arthur) October 29, 2012

I really want Lydia Callis (Bloomberg’s sign language interpreter) next to Charles Barkley on Inside the NBA. Can someone make this happen?

— Dave Zirin (@EdgeofSports) October 31, 2012

Shush, everyone, Lydia Callis is signing. (Also, that Bloomberg guy is talking.) twitter.com/ditzkoff/statu…

— Dave Itzkoff (@ditzkoff) October 30, 2012

Callis even passed the ultimate threshold for solidified Internet fame by getting a parody video dedicated to her shared on YouTube.

Watch the video up top and try not to grin, at least a little bit. Did you see Callis in action? Tell us what you thought.

More Coverage of Hurricane Sandy

The Aftermath of Superstorm Sandy

Breezy Point, Queens

“Destruction after fire in Breezy Point, Queens.” Via Official New York City Fire Department
Breezy Point, Queens

“Destruction after fire in Breezy Point, Queens.”
Via Official New York City Fire Department
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba

“Damage being repaired on the roof of the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Arts and Crafts Center after Hurricane Sandy made landfall.”

Via Joint Task Force Guantanamo Public Affairs/Sgt. Brett Perkins
North Carolina

Via North Carolina Department of Public Transportation
Manhattan

“No traffic on the FDR today. This was all under water the night before. It’s amazing how a storm like Sandy can completely shut down an entire city.”

Via WanderingtheWorld
South Ferry Station, Manhattan

A submerged escalator at the South Ferry subway station in Lower Manhattan. Via MTA
East Village, Manhattan

People bail water from a basement of an East Village business. Via Brennan Cavanaugh
West Village, Manhattan

“Bleeker Street Pizza: OPEN- The electricity was still out, but they were making pizza anyway, with the help of their gas-fired oven and a few spelunker head lamps.”

Via Nick Sherman
East Village at Avenue C, Manhattan

Via jesseandgreg
Battery Park

A truck is submerged in Battery Park, Manhattan. Via Andrea Canning
Belmar, New Jersey

“Hurricane Sandy damage in Belmar, N.J. on Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012.” Via Talk Radio News Service
Seaside Heights, New Jersey

“Aerial views of the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy to the New Jersey coast taken during a search and rescue mission by 1-150 Assault Helicopter Battalion, New Jersey Army National Guard, Oct. 30, 2012.”

Via U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Mark C. Olsen/Released
White Hall subway station in NYC

Via Andrew Cuomo
North Wildwood, New Jersey

Via thejkinz
West Wildwood, New Jersey

A street underwater. Via thejkinz
Long Island, New York

A tree uprooted in Long Island, New York. Via nikki_skye
Stonybrook, Long Island, NY

via Meghan Pipe
Michigan

Via lafontainenissan
NYC

Via miss_pagano
Dumbo, Brooklyn

“Main St. After Hurricane Sandy” Via DumboNYC
Dumbo, Brooklyn

“Jane’s carousel is basically an island now. Poor horses.” Via andjelicaaa
Toronto

Via toastmatic
Staten Island

Via katemcdermott7
West Virginia

“John Schmidt, of the West Virginia Field Office, photographed his backyard during Hurricane Sandy.” Via U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services
Fort Greene Park, Brooklyn

Via juspostbellum
Staten Island

Via anitaaaaaaaaaa3
Red Cross Digital Command Center

“President Obama visits the American Red Cross Digital Command Center following Hurricane Sandy”
Via Dell
Portsmouth, Virginia

“Maj. Gen. Daniel E. Long, Jr., the Adjutant General of Virginia, visits Soldiers from the 2nd Squadron, 183rd Cavalry Regiment Oct. 30 in Portsmouth, Va. “
Via Virginia Guard Public Affairs
Piscataway Township, New Jersey

“Spc. Anthony Monte along with Soldiers from the 50th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, New Jersey Army National Guard, mobilized for Hurricane Sandy provide assistance to displaced residents at an emergency shelter at the Werblin Recreation Center, Piscataway Township, N.J., Oct. 29, 2012.”Via U.S. Army
Damaged Space Shuttle Enterprise

Via John deGuzman
Mears, Virginia

“Virginia National Guard Soldiers trudged through high water and cut trees to clear a path for two rescue missions that transported seven adults and one child to safety at two locations on Cattail Road in the Mears, Va. area Oct. 30.” Via The National Gaurd
Fort Greene, Brooklyn

A car that has been smashed by a tree in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. Via CSondi