Hands down the most surreal moment of a decidedly odd news conference came when the governor of Virginia looked ready to moonwalk. Earlier in the conference, Gov. Ralph Northam had said that despite what he had said Friday, he wasn’t the one in the racist yearbook photo. But he did admit that he used shoe polish to darken his face when he dressed up as Michael Jackson for a dance contest in 1984. So obviously journalists asked about that. And at one point one asked whether the governor could still moonwalk. Advertisement this Ralph Northam dude was really about to moonwalk until his wife told him to chill. pic.twitter.com/ZzH1VKkUEY — Daniel Dudley (@DDisBORED) February 2, 2019 When he heard the question, Northam didn’t answer straight away. Instead, he appeared to look around, as if he were weighing whether there was enough space to show off these supposed skills. His wife, Pamela Northam, seemed to have quick reflexes and appeared to realize what was going on and spoke up. “In appropriate circumstances,” she said. Or maybe it was “inappropriate circumstances”? Regardless, Northam listened to his wife and parroted her words back to the journalist. Northam’s allies must have been ecstatic that Pamela Northam was standing by her husband.<doc-sep>In a bizarre moment during Gov. Ralph Northam’s (D-VA) Saturday afternoon press conference on a racist yearbook photo, the embattled lawmaker’s wife ordered him not to perform the moonwalk after revealing he once wore blackface for a dance contest. Northam (D-VA) said he darkened his face for a Michael Jackson costume in 1984 — the same year in which he acknowledged Friday evening to have appeared in a photo with another individual wearing blackface and a Ku Klux Klan outfit. “My belief that I did not wear that costume or attend that party stems, in part, by my clear memory of other mistakes I made in the same period of my life,” Northam said. “That same year, I did participate in a dance contest in San Antonio in which I darkened my face as part of a Michael Jackson costume.” “I look back now and regret that I did not understand the harmful legacy of an action like that. It is because my memory of that episode is so vivid that I truly do not believe I am in the picture in my yearbook,” he added. During the question period, one reporter asked Northam if he could still moonwalk, prompting the governor to smile and look around the room for space to possible perform the dance move. “Inappropriate circumstances,” Northam’s wife told the embattled lawmaker. "Inappropriate circumstances…" Virginia Governor Ralph Northam declines to do the Moonwalk dance in response to a reporter’s question about an alleged blackface incident #tictocnews pic.twitter.com/r0SOWMDgYV — TicToc by Bloomberg (@tictoc) February 2, 2019 At the start of the presser, Northam pledged to remain in his post despite a slew of calls from Democrats and Republicans for him to resign immediately. He claimed that he not only prematurely apologized for the racist photo which appeared in his 1984 Eastern Virginia Medical yearbook, but had not seen it until it surfaced Friday. The website Big League Politics first reported on the photo, which was later obtained by the Virginia-Pilot. On Friday, the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus, the state House Democratic Caucus and the state Senate Democratic Caucus all demanded Northam step aside. along with several top progressive groups, including Moveon.org and the Latino Victory Fund. “But given what was revealed today, it is clear that he can no longer effectively serve as governor,” the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus said. “It is time for him to resign, so that Virginia can begin the process of healing.” Several Democratic presidential hopefuls and potential presidential candidates, including Sens. Kamala Harris, Cory Booker former Vice President Joe Biden, also called on Northam to resign. “Leaders are called to a higher standard, and the stain of racism should have no place in the halls of government. The Governor of Virginia should step aside so the public can heal and move forward together,” Harris wrote in a statement shared to Twitter. “There is no place for racism in America. Governor Northam has lost all moral authority and should resign immediately, Justin Fairfax is the leader Virginia needs now,” Biden said. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) slammed Northam for the photo. However, she did not explicitly call on him to resign. “The photo is racist and contrary to fundamental American values,” said Pelosi. “I join my colleagues in Virginia calling on Governor Northam to do the right thing so that the people of the Commonwealth of Virginia can heal and move forward.”<doc-sep>Virginia Governor Ralph Northam's Saturday press conference reached bizarre heights when the politician almost showed off the moonwalk he perfected when donning blackface for a Michael Jackson costume in the 80s. The 59-year-old from Nassawadox became more of a laughing stock when he brazenly admitted to dressing up as the late singer wearing similar footwear, a glove and shoe polish to look like an African-American person. During the excruciating appearance in the Executive Mansion, he said he later learned from a friend Seth that doing so for a dance competition was indeed inappropriate and he apologized to his friend at the time. The 59-year-old from Nassawadox became more of a laughing stock when he brazenly admitted to dressing up as the late singer While taking questions, a reporter asked Virginia Governor Ralph Northam: 'Are you still able to moonwalk?' But while taking questions, a reporter asked the governor: 'Are you still able to moonwalk?' And in the brief moments after the question, Northam appeared to look around to see if he had enough space to do the dance move. But just as he looks to start the jig, his wife asserted: 'Inappropriate circumstances.' 'My wife says inappropriate circumstances,' the controversial politician reiterated. Northam appeared to look around to see if he had enough space to do the dance move People on Twitter were shocked by the moment Northam was 25 when he deemed it okay to cover his face in shiny black wax at least two decades after the Civil Rights movement decried it. Northam appeared to try to soften the offensive occasion by revealing he won the contest he did it for. The moonwalk has gone through several iterations since it first hit the dance scene in the 1930s, but Michael Jackson immortalized the dance with his own rendition Making his revelation worse, he told attendees the reason why he only wore a 'little bit' of shoe polish was because it's difficult to remove. 'I don't know if anybody's tried this...' he said to the shocked room. But it didn't explain why he was wearing blackface to show off his dance talent during the skit. Northam told the audience during question time: 'I have discussed this with a person of color. I apologized to him.' Despite his revelation about donning blackface to do the Moonwalk, Northam said he felt sick after seeing the image of people wearing a Ku Klux Klan robe and blackface and would remember if he had done so. The moonwalk has gone through several iterations since it first hit the dance scene in the 1930s, but Michael Jackson immortalized the dance with his own rendition.<doc-sep>Governor Ralph Northam admitted to darkening his face to go to a dance contest as Michael Jackson at his bonkers press conference today saying he is not in the racist yearbook photo, and naturally a lot of reporters asked about this. One reporter asked if he can still moonwalk. And for a brief second, it looked like Northam was considering whether to demonstrate. And then you can very clearly hear his wife Pam Northam saying, “Inappropriate circumstances.” Northam himself said, “My wife says inappropriate circumstances.” You can watch above, via CNN. [image via screengrab] Have a tip we should know? 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During the press conference, the governor once again claimed that the racist picture from his yearbook which sparked a scandal which now threatens his career does not feature him. As Virginia Governor Ralph Northam continues to weather the scandal triggered by the discovery of a racist photo from his 1984 medical yearbook, he brought up another incident from his past when he took part in a dance contest in San Antonio in 1980s dressed as Michael Jackson, with his face darkened. During the conference, Northam was asked whether he could still moonwalk, prompting the governor to start looking around, almost as if he was searching for a stage to show off his moves. Video. Northam was 100% about to moonwalk away the final moments of his political career. pic.twitter.com/MHBQC9gT8q — Dylan McLemore (@voiceofD) 2 февраля 2019 г. ​However, his wife could be heard saying "inappropriate circumstances", with the governor then telling the audience "My wife says 'inappropriate circumstances'" and appearing to give up on the idea. "I look back now and I regret that I did not understand the harmful legacy of an action like that. It is because my memory of that episode is so vivid, that I truly do not believe I am in the picture in my yearbook," Northam also said during the press conference. This occurrence immediately elicited a barrage of jokes on social media, aimed squarely at the governor. Wait, he’s now claiming he was an astronaut? pic.twitter.com/z4NsevvIE6 — Barbara Joanne Watson (@BarbaraJoanneW4) 3 февраля 2019 г. ​Some people also focused their attention on the kind of questions reporters asked Northam over the scandal. The press hitting him with the hard questions. — Erik🎅🏿 (@kebbe90) 4 февраля 2019 г. Gaaaaaaa!!!!!!! That rotten press is SO mean to him! If a republican…..oh never mind, we all know the words to that song. — Jan Hudson (@janbuddy) 3 февраля 2019 г. And why does media relentlessly shill for Dems? They won’t cover Northam’s defense of infanticide, but they’ll ask if he can moonwalk…. https://t.co/sMkMrBjMzY — Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) 2 февраля 2019 г. ​READ MORE: Hillary Clinton Branded a Hypocrite as She Urges Virginia Gov. Northam to Resign Previously, many prominent US political figures, including former Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton, came forward and urged Northam to resign over the controversy sparked by the emergence of a 1984 photo from his yearbook that features two people, one wearing blackface while the other is clad in a KKK robe.