NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
    • The Great NZ Road Trip
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • Deloitte Fast 50
    • Generate wealth weekly
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Ryan Bridge reacts as TikTok fans swoon over viral earthquake broadcast

Imogene Bedford
Journalist·NZ Herald·
1 Oct, 2025 07:00 AM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
Herald NOW host Ryan Bridge has garnered 910,000 views on TikTok with video coverage of the September 19 earthquake in Russia’s far east. Photo / Michael Craig

Herald NOW host Ryan Bridge has garnered 910,000 views on TikTok with video coverage of the September 19 earthquake in Russia’s far east. Photo / Michael Craig

Herald NOW host Ryan Bridge is capturing international hearts thanks to a recent viral video that had commenters posting compliments like “News Zaddy”.

Bridge caught the attention of TikTok users while covering a 7.8-magnitude earthquake in Russia’s far east.

In a video that has now been viewed nearly 910,000 times, Bridge broke the news of the September 19 quake that rocked the region of Kamchatka.

However, going by comments on the viral video, most users were paying more attention to Bridge’s appearance than what he had to say.

“Earthquake or heartquake”, one commenter wrote.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

“New Zealand, you’ve been holding out on us,” another said.

Another lamented, “We don’t have reporters like this in Canada”.

The barrage of admiration came as a shock to Kiwis, who are used to seeing Bridge on local screens.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
@nzherald

A large, shallow earthquake has struck off the coast of Russia, with “hazardous tsunami waves” possible for coastal areas within 1000km of the epicentre, the US Geological Survey says. The quake, with a preliminary magnitude of 7.8 and at a depth of 10km deep, occurred off the east coast of Kamchatka around 7am (NZT). A spokeswoman for the National Emergency Management Agency said the quake had been assessed by both Earth Science NZ and NEMA. Any potential tsunami from the quake posed no risk to New Zealand, she said. 🔗 Get the full story via the link in our bio.

♬ original sound - nzherald - nzherald

Bridge, for his part, was amused by the online excitement – as was his husband, who thought the balloon meme “was the best”.

While he hasn’t seen the reactions to the post himself, he has been sent several by friends and colleagues.

“The thing with internet comments is sometimes they’re good and sometimes they’re bad. So it’s best to take it all with a grain of salt.”

His message to “all the American ladies” is simple: “It’s never going to happen. But I have zero issues with being objectified.”

Some fans think Bridge looks like fellow Kiwi Daniel Gillies.
Some fans think Bridge looks like fellow Kiwi Daniel Gillies.

Several comments compared him to Daniel Gillies, who played Elijah Mikaelson in the popular teen series The Vampire Diaries and spinoff The Originals.

One commenter said, “he looks like the original brother in Vampire Diaries”, while another quipped “Elijah, what are you doing here??!!”

Gillies grew up in Hamilton before moving to Hollywood to pursue acting. He was married to She’s All That star Rachael Leigh Cook for 15 years and shares two children with the actress, Charlotte and Theodore Gillies.

While the 49-year-old told the Herald he had no plans to move back to Aotearoa, he was still warm about the place he grew up.

“I think New Zealand is one of those places you grow fonder of the more time that goes by that you’re away from it.”

In the meantime, the Hollywood heartthrob has a local doppelganger in Bridge – who doesn’t see the resemblance.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

“I’m flattered, but that guy is way hotter.”

Save
    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

Politics

Political lines drawn between mother and son as movement splits from Te Pāti Māori

02 Oct 04:30 AM
New Zealand

Insufficient evidence: Corruption case against Manurewa Marae stalls

02 Oct 04:29 AM
New Zealand

Rising toll: Eight crashes during Motorcycle Awareness Month prompt police warning

02 Oct 04:24 AM

Sponsored

Poor sight leaving kids vulnerable

22 Sep 01:23 AM
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

Political lines drawn between mother and son as movement splits from Te Pāti Māori
Politics

Political lines drawn between mother and son as movement splits from Te Pāti Māori

Eru Kapa-Kingi says Toitū Te Tiriti needs independence from 'ego-driven' party politics.

02 Oct 04:30 AM
Insufficient evidence: Corruption case against Manurewa Marae stalls
New Zealand

Insufficient evidence: Corruption case against Manurewa Marae stalls

02 Oct 04:29 AM
Rising toll: Eight crashes during Motorcycle Awareness Month prompt police warning
New Zealand

Rising toll: Eight crashes during Motorcycle Awareness Month prompt police warning

02 Oct 04:24 AM


Poor sight leaving kids vulnerable
Sponsored

Poor sight leaving kids vulnerable

22 Sep 01:23 AM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP