Archive · 9 Aug 2026
Memphis anchor Dominique Dillon caught napping on live TV
A lady named Dominique Dillon reads the news on a morning TV show in Memphis.
She has to wake up very early, around 1:30 in the morning, to get ready for work.
One day, the camera showed her sitting at her desk with her eyes closed.
It looked like she fell asleep while she was on live television.
She felt very embarrassed when she realized what had happened.
But she had a very good reason to be tired: her baby was teething and would not go to sleep, so she stayed up very late.
She only got a few hours of sleep before going to work.
Many people on the internet were kind to her, and other moms said they understood how she felt.
Her TV station said it was proud of her, because the moment shows how hard it is for mothers to go back to work.
Dominique Dillon, anchor of Good Morning Memphis on Fox 13, was caught with her eyes closed during a live July 29 broadcast.
The moment happened when the show unexpectedly cut back to the studio after a reporter's segment on the annual Memphis to Peoria run in St Jude.
Dillon told NBC's Today she was 'mortified,' having had only a few hours of sleep after a night spent trying to settle her teething eight-month-old daughter.
Co-anchor Ernie Freeman jokingly dubbed her 'Sleeping Beauty,' and Fox 13 embraced the incident around the newsroom as 'the power nap.'
The clip went viral, drawing an outpouring of support from working mothers and prompting some viewers to question why the control room put her on camera.
- Who
- Dominique Dillon, anchor of Good Morning Memphis on Fox 13
- What
- Was caught on live television with her eyes closed in what appeared to be an on-air nap
- When
- During the July 29 live broadcast
- Where
- In the Fox 13 studio in Memphis
- Why
- Exhaustion after getting only a few hours of sleep while trying to settle her teething eight-month-old daughter, with her husband working a double shift
Supporters of Dillon
Critics of the production team
Responsibility for the on-air moment
Supporters of Dillon
Many viewers, especially working mothers, sympathized with Dillon and treated the lapse as a relatable mistake caused by exhaustion, praising her dedication as a parent and worker.
Critics of the production team
Some viewers were angry at the control room and technical director for cutting to Dillon on camera while her eyes were closed.
How the viral moment should be read
Supporters of Dillon
Fox 13 and many viewers embraced the clip as a heartwarming story about the challenges new mothers face returning to work, calling it 'the power nap.'
Critics of the production team
Some commenters saw the moment as evidence of inadequate support for mothers in the US, calling for more paid maternity leave and better conditions.
- Anchor
- Dominique Dillon
- Station
- Fox 13, Memphis (Good Morning Memphis)
- Date of incident
- July 29
- Children
- Dakota (2) and Delilah (8 months)
- Normal wake-up time
- 1:30 am
- Show start time
- As early as 4:30 am
- At station since
- 2019
- Returned from maternity leave
- April
