Dominique Dillon, a Memphis-based reporter for Fox 13, briefly fell asleep during a live July 29 segment on Good Morning Memphis. The Memphis news anchor falls asleep moment spread quickly after clips of the broadcast went viral, turning a few seconds on camera into a wider public moment.
Dominique Dillon on Today
Dillon told Craig Melvin and Laura Jarrett on Today that she was mortified and thought the moment felt like a work nightmare. She said, “I opened my eyes, and it was cutting to the next shot, and I was like, ‘Oh my goodness, I can’t believe this just happened to me,’” and added, “I am mortified. I was pinching myself under the desk like, ‘This has to be a nightmare.’ Like one of those work nightmares, because this is not my life right now.”
She said the broadcast moment happened after a long night at home. Dillon said she was taking care of two babies while her husband worked a double shift, and that Delilah was teething and would not settle down until 10:30 or 11 o’clock. She said she had only a couple hours to rest before waking up for work.
Good Morning Memphis moment
Dillon said she had been trying to get the baby to sleep at 8 o’clock and that “the next thing you know it’s 10:30, 11 o’clock before I can actually get her down to sleep.” She also said, “who falls asleep in one minute, sitting up, in front of cameras?”
The live setting left little room for recovery once she nodded off. Dillon said producers thought she was looking down at her tablet and did not realize she was sleeping, which is why the clip played out long enough for viewers to catch it. Ernie Freeman later called her “Sleeping Beauty.”
Fox 13 and April
Dillon has been with Fox 13 since 2019 and returned from maternity leave in April. Fox 13 described the moment as “the power nap” in an Aug. 4 article and said it had garnered national attention. On Aug. 5, Fox 13 told that it appreciated its audience seeing the moment as relatable.
The station said it could not be prouder to have Dominique in the spotlight and said the moment highlighted how difficult it can be for new mothers to get back in the groove when returning to work. Fox 13 also said the rest of the country was being introduced to Dominique for falling asleep on the job, while Dillon said the public response showed “the good side of humanity” and reflected how many parents are working hard at both jobs, at work and at home.
