Gerald Gruenig is a household name in Louisiana.

The New Orleans native has been a TV reporter for KLFY News in Lafayette since 2014, and covers breaking news, weather, entertainment, culture and more in Acadiana.

He's also an influencer who travels the state in search of the best Cajun food he can find. His Louisiana accent, love for boudin, seafood and french fry po-boys, and endearing personality delight hundreds of thousands of people each day on Instagram and TikTok.

But the usually happy-go-lucky Gruenig got a bit heated during a live newscast Tuesday while he and co-worker John Weatherall reported on deteriorating conditions in Lafayette as snow blanketed Acadiana and iced over roadways.

While Gruenig was reporting, a blue Subaru car raced around a turn going onto Evangeline Thruway and began skidding in the ice. The car almost left the roadway, but the driver was able to recover.

The moment prompted Gruenig to tell Weatherall to step back and ask a police officer nearby to track the driver down as the car sped away.

"That got me hot, bruh," Gruenig said on TV, reiterating the danger of driving during snow and ice and begging residents to stay home and safe.

"We're all just trying to do our job, bringing you up to date ... that was whack. I know our boy that he was cool, but I ain't rockin' with it. Super lame."

The TV bit was featured on a recent episode of "Jimmy Kimmel Live" where the talk show host joked about the rare and historic weather conditions across the Gulf Coast this week.

"Can we get a therapist to corner of Evangeline Thruway and Surrey Street, because we got a time bomb waiting to blow there," Kimmel joked.

With a Twins king cake in hand, Gruenig took to Instagram to explain himself Wednesday.

"I was just looking out for my boy," he said, wanting to keep Weatherall out of harm's way.

Gruenig comes from a food family: his father, Gary Koz Gruenig, run's Koz's restaurant in Harahan.