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Viewers defend TV anchor and new mom after she was ‘caught’ dozing off on air in viral video

Nbcwashington · · 421 words · By Liz Calvario; TODAY
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What to know about Viewers defend TV anchor and new mom after she was ‘caught’ dozing off on air in viral video

A morning news anchor has gone viral for seemingly taking a snooze during a live broadcast — and people are giving her grace for being a new mom.

Claims checked 7
Techniques found 0
Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center80%
Right20%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

A morning news anchor has gone viral for seemingly taking a snooze during a live broadcast — and people are giving her grace for being a new mom.

Why it matters

In a video shared online, FOX13 Memphis anchor Dominique Dillon is seen in the studio with her eyes closed and head resting on her hands while on air with a reporter on location in another part of the city.

Common ground

The person who shared the video is heard laughing in the background.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.nbcwashington.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/viral-mom-fox-tv-…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 7 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 4
info Single Source 2
verified Verified By Reference 1
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Claim 1: “Dillon, who welcomed her second child in December”
SINGLE SOURCE
Only one specific source ('TV Anchor Who Fell Asleep on Air Recounts How a Night with...') explicitly mentions she welcomed her second child in December.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Dominique Dillon joined the FOX13 Memphis team as a reporter in October 2019. Less than three years later, she was promoted to anchor and anchors FOX13 Midday Monday through Friday at 11 a.m. Though s…
https://www.fox13memphis.com/about-us/fox13newsstaff/dominiq…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — As local morning news anchor Dominique Dillon realized she had been dozing off during a live broadcast, it felt like a bad dream.Dillon, who welcomed her second child in December, went on to poke fun …
https://www.today.com/popculture/tv-anchor-falls-asleep-domi…
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web search NEUTRAL — Dillon has called FOX13 Memphis home since 2019, when she joined the station as a reporter. Less than three years later, she was promoted to anchor and now helms FOX13 Midday weekdays at 11 a.m.
https://www.comicsands.com/memphis-anchor-sleeping-live
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Claim 2: “the California native”
CORROBORATED
Two independent sources confirm she is a California native ('Cali girl').
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Dominique Dillon de Byington, known by her stage name Dillon, is a Brazilian singer-songwriter and pianist, based in Germany. Her debut album This Silence Kills, released in 2011, was praised by the m…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dillon_(singer)
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Good Morning Memphis anchor Dominique Dillon is used to telling other people’s stories—not having one of her own go viral. The California native and mother of two young girls briefly fell asleep durin…
https://michiganchronicle.com/news-anchor-dominique-dillon-s…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Dominique Dillon joined the FOX13 Memphis team as a reporter in October 2019. Less than three years later, she was promoted to anchor and anchors FOX13 Midday Monday through Friday at 11 a.m. Though s…
https://www.fox13memphis.com/about-us/fox13newsstaff/dominiq…
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Claim 3: “Dillon, who also has a 2-year-old daughter, returned to work in April”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm she has a 2-year-old daughter and returned to work in April.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Dillon, who also has a 2-year-old daughter, returned to work in April. “Excited to be back in the saddle after four months of maternity leave with this cutie, telling stories that matter to you and ke…
https://www.nbcdfw.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/vira…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Dillon, a mother of two young children, had just returned from maternity leave in April. The night before the incident, she struggled to get her 8‑month‑old daughter to bed because she was teething.
https://news-pravda.com/world/2026/08/11/2506846.html
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The 32-year-old mother of two had recently returned from maternity leave and was working shifts starting at 3:30 am. Fellow anchors and mothers online rallied around Dillon after the clip spread widel…
https://www.tuko.co.ke/world/us/635479-over-200-deaths-linke…
info
Claim 4: “four months of maternity leave”
SINGLE SOURCE
Only one source explicitly mentions the duration of her maternity leave as 'four months'.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Anchor Dominique Dillon is speaking out after a clip of her briefly falling asleep during a live broadcast went viral. Dillon fell asleep on air July 29 after spending much of the night caring for her…
https://www.tiktok.com/discover/dominique-dillon-sleep-fox-1…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Dominique Dillon, a morning anchor at FOX 13, was filmed briefly resting following a live reporter package during the station's early morning show. Her co-anchor noticed and quipped on air, "Sleeping …
https://www.tuko.co.ke/world/us/635479-over-200-deaths-linke…
travel_explore
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Claim 5: “FOX13 Memphis anchor Dominique Dillon is seen in the studio with her eyes closed and head resting on her hands while on air”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent news sources (Google News/Kay Wicker, Daily Memphian, and another web source) confirm that Dominique Dillon appeared to fall asleep on air, resting her head in her hands.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This article summarizes the events, album releases, and album release dates in hip-hop for the year 2024.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_in_hip-hop
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web search NEUTRAL — Fox News Anchor Appears To Fall Asleep During Segment.Dominique Dillon didn’t just fall asleep on live TV — she exposed a crisis befalling Black mothers. Yesterday. By Kay Wicker.
https://news.google.com/stories/CAAqNggKIjBDQklTSGpvSmMzUnZj…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Dominique Dillon, a FOX 13 Memphis anchor, got caught on video falling asleep during a live broadcast. Footage of the anchor shows her resting her head in her hands while on-air on Wednesday, July 29.
https://www.aol.com/articles/viewer-caught-tv-anchor-mom-204…
+ 1 more evidence source
verified
Claim 6: “Dillon reposted the snap on her Facebook on July 29”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of generic Wikipedia entries about the name 'Dominique' and unrelated films/people; none of the sources confirm she reposted a snap on Facebook on July 29.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Rie Rasmussen (/riː/ REE; born 14 February 1978) is a Danish actress, director, writer, photographer and former model. She is best known for her acting roles in the films Femme Fatale (2002) and Angel…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rie_Rasmussen
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of American films released in 2017.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_American_films_of_2017
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of cheerleaders.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cheerleaders
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 7: “FOX13’s Good Morning Memphis anchor Ernie Freeman shared a selfie of himself with Dillon”
CORROBORATED
Two independent sources confirm that Ernie Freeman shared a selfie with Dillon where she was pretending to nap.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The following notable deaths in the United States occurred in 2022 within the period July–December. Names are reported under the date of death, in alphabetical order as set out in WP:NAMESORT. A typic…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_deaths_in_the_United_Stat…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — FOX13 Memphis anchor Dominique Dillon. A morning news anchor has gone viral for seemingly taking a snooze during a live broadcast — and people are giving her grace for being a new mom.
https://www.nbcdfw.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/vira…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Her colleague and FOX13 Good Morning Memphis anchor Ernie Freeman shared a selfie of himself with Dillon, who was pretending to nap. “Now that ‘The Big Show’ is over, it’s time for Dominique Dillon to…
https://www.today.com/popculture/tv-anchor-falls-asleep-domi…
+ 1 more evidence source
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.