Dennis Rodman lost his cool during a CNN interview about his latest "basketball diplomacy" mission to North Korea on Tuesday.
The former NBA star's outburst at host Chris Cuomo is the latest chapter in a story that was simply absurd at first, but now grows darker and more surreal at every turn.
See also: Rodman's North Korea Trip: Hilarity at What Cost?
During the interview shown Tuesday, Cuomo takes Rodman to task over his self-described "friendship" with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, pointing out the fact that Kim is known as a ruthless tyrant who had his own uncle executed last month.
"I don't give a rat's ass what in the hell you think!" Rodman, flanked by fellow former NBA players who are part of his current exhibition tour, bellowed at Cuomo from North Korean capital Pyongyang during the interview.
Cuomo had asked Rodman about the ongoing detention of American citizen Kenneth Bae in North Korea. Bae has been held under hazy charges by North Korean authorities since his arrest on Nov. 3, 2012, and is currently serving a 15-year sentence in a labor camp.
Rodman — who takes over from ex-NBAer Charles Smith around the 4:30 mark of the interview, above — struggles and stammers to address the Bae situation before lashing out at Cuomo, while waving a cigar.
Rodman and his cadre of former players are currently in Pyongyang to play an exhibition game, reportedly against the North Korean national team, in honor of Kim's birthday on Jan. 8. Kim grew up as a huge fan of Rodman's championship Chicago Bulls teams in the 1990s, despite his country's strict isolationism. Kim and Rodman have more recently become good friends, according to Rodman.
The current trip, which is being sponsored by an Irish online-gambling company called Paddy Power, is not Rodman's first to North Korea. He initially visited last February as part of a documentary project for Vice, then returned in December as a precursor to his current stay.
But as his bromance with Kim seems to evolve, the public tenor regarding Rodman's time in North Korea has shifted from smug bemusement to growing disgust in the context of North Korea's ugly human rights record.
An open letter to Rodman published in the Washington Post last month provides perhaps the starkest contrast between Rodman's antics and the harsh reality of life under Kim. The letter details terrible living conditions for North Koreans, and implores Rodman to use his apparent friendship with Kim to improve circumstances for all of the country's citizens.
After seeing Rodman on camera Tuesday — enraged, flustered and a bit bewildered — perhaps he deserves a bit of our concern, as well.
Homepage image: CNN, YouTube