Good Morning Memphis anchor Dominique Dillon was caught on camera appearing to fall asleep during a live broadcast earlier this week, after a report cut back to the studio sooner than expected.
Reporter Sheila O'Connor had just finished her segment on the annual Memphis to Peoria run in St. Jude when the camera returned to the studio. Dillon was seen resting her eyes while holding her head. O'Connor then stared into a blank space with an awkward smile until the show went to an ad break.
Viewers come to her defense
Many viewers were quick to defend Dillon on Instagram. "Those morning shifts are so challenging. Let’s give her some grace and support," wrote erinecomo.
"She’s a mom of two, a baby and a toddler while doing full reporting in Memphis," added filmsofherstory.
"Baby, it’s HARD! She does a phenomenal job, and so I understand her to the T. It’s not easy," makeupdiva2know agreed, saying: "She has two small children. Show her some grace!"
Some fans even blamed the producer and director. "That looks like sabotage to me," wrote fluke_in_flow. "Because why would that producer take that shot?"
A lighthearted response
Dillon took the mishap in stride. Following the broadcast, she shared a photo on Facebook taken by co-anchor Ernie Freeman, in which she pretended to be asleep in the background.
"Now that The Big Show is over, it’s time for Dominique Dillon to catch another nap," Freeman captioned the photo. Dillon replied: "Couldn’t even give me a nudge."
