CBS News released a statement following a camera operator suffering a “medical emergency” live on air during the CBS Evening News with Tony Dokoupil.
“Tonight during the final segment of CBS Evening News, our cameraman on set suffered a medical emergency. Thankfully, he’s okay and recovering,” read a tweet from CBS News on Wednesday, May 13.
Earlier in the night, Tony Dokoupil interrupted a live report on the CBS Evening News when a crew member seemingly collapsed in front of him. The episode was airing live from Taiwan in advance of President Donald Trump’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Thursday, May 14.
“And finally tonight from Taiwan, as President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping prepare to meet, we will hear a lot about American decline and the rise of a powerful new China,” Dokoupil, 45, began his segment.
He then veered from his script to ask, “Is he OK?”
The CBS Evening News immediately cut away from the live shot as a commotion could be heard on the makeshift set.
After several seconds of dead air, Dokoupil announced to viewers, “We’re going to take a quick break. We have a medical emergency here.”
In the seconds before the CBS Evening News cut away, the sounds of pained sighs could be heard on air as well as more commotion on the set.
“We’re calling a doctor,” Dokoupil told someone off-camera.
The CBS Evening News live feed cut to reporter Matt Gutman in CBS’s New York City studio to explain what was happening.
“I’m going to sign off for Tony Dokoupil who has been reporting in Taiwan,” Gutman, 48, announced to viewers. “We’re going to go to break. We’ll be right back!”
Many viewers shared their concern as it was initially unclear what kind of medical emergency was unfolding on the live shot from Taiwan.
“Really glad the CBS Evening News photojournalist is ok! Scary moment tonight during the last block,” one viewer tweeted on Wednesday, with another adding, “There was a medical emergency during the CBS Evening News live on the East Coast. Hoping their crew member will be ok!”
Wednesday’s scary on-air incident occurred just five months into Dokoupil’s tenure as the lead anchor on the CBS Evening News, after he previously cohosted CBS Mornings. (Dokoupil replaced previous anchors Maurice DuBois and John Dickerson, who signed off in December 2025.)
“We live in a time in which many people have lost trust in the media. Tony Dokoupil is the person to win it back. That’s because he believes in old-school journalistic values: asking the hard questions, following the facts wherever they lead and holding power to account. Americans hungry for fairness will see that on display night after night,” Bari Weiss, CBS News’ editor-in-chief, announced in December 2025.
At the time of his promotion, Dokoupil said, “After 20 years in journalism, traveling through all 50 states and talking with people in hundreds of far-flung American places, I realize why a country this big needs a show this ambitious. The strength of our nation is that we benefit from fair reporting and the open discussion of all ideas. For more than 60 years, the Evening News has been a bedrock of that process. I’m honored to join a fearless team at this important moment, and with what I can promise is a commitment to trust and the plain truth.”
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