Chief Justice Roberts: I was mistaken for John Boehner — and just rolled with it

Chief Justice John Roberts revealed a surprising anecdote during a C-SPAN discussion Wednesday about the challenges of being a public figure – and admitted he spent an entire evening pretending to be ex-House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH).

The comments came Wednesday during a lighter moment as Roberts was asked by U.S. District Judge Lawrence Vilardo how he balanced the high-profile nature of his job with a desire for privacy. Roberts downplayed his recognizability – and offered a story to prove it.

"My wife and I were on vacation in Portugal last year, and another American sort of came up to us, and he looked at me and says, 'I know you. I know who you are. You're John Boehner.' I had to spend the whole evening pretending to be John Boehner,” Roberts said with a smile as the audience burst out in laughter.

ALSO READ: ‘Pain. Grief. Anger’: Families heartbroken as Trump backlash smashes adoption dreams

“So, when you say readily recognizable, really not, to be honest with you,” the chief justice added.

Roberts went on to say during the discussion held Wednesday to celebrate the 125th Anniversary of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York that “it’s getting worse,” as he noted the increased attention the Supreme Court has attracted in recent years.

“But I will say 99% of interactions I’ve had with people, they come up and say, ‘hello,’ which is fine,” he concluded. “We’re not as recognizable as you might think – among a crowd of judges and lawyers, yeah, but the public at large – not much.”

Watch the clip below or at this link.