How damaging are inappropriate emotional displays by political leaders? While prior research shows voters reward appropriate displays, less is known about the consequences of inappropriate ones. Using German panel data, we analyse CDU chancellor candidate Armin Laschet’s inappropriate laughter during a 2021 visit to a flood-stricken area as a quasi-experimental setting. Our findings, based on an unexpected event during survey design (UESD), indicate moderate, negative short-term effects on perceptions of his character, but no significant effects on turnout, or vote choice. Overall, our study demonstrates that inappropriate emotional displays can damage voter perceptions of political leaders but are unlikely to affect electoral behaviour.