CBS Evening News was momentarily interrupted on Wednesday (May 13) when a cameraman suffered a medical emergency off-screen while the show was broadcasting live from Taiwan.
Anchor Tony Dokoupil was wrapping up the show when something off-camera caught his attention. “Is he okay?” Dokoupil could be heard saying as images of China appeared on-screen. “We’re going to take a quick break. We have a medical emergency here,” he added.
Before the feed cut back to Matt Gutman in New York, Dokoupil could be heard saying, “We’re calling a doctor,” while another crew member said, “Call the doctor, please.” Gutman then delivered the show’s sign-off from the studio set.
The official CBS Evening News X account later issued a statement confirming that the cameraman was okay. “Tonight during the final segment of CBS Evening News, our cameraman on set suffered a medical emergency. Thankfully, he’s okay and recovering,” the statement read.
CBS News camera man passed out on set. He’s now doing ok and is in recovery, I’m told. pic.twitter.com/w08yqbITa9
— Dylan Byers (@DylanByers) May 13, 2026
Dokoupil has been anchoring this week’s CBS Evening News from Taipei, Taiwan, covering President Donald Trump‘s two-day summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing. On Wednesday, the New York Post reported that CBS News failed to obtain a visa for Beijing in time.
A source told the outlet that CBS News editor in chief Bari Weiss wanted to get Dokoupil to Beijing after learning that ABC World News Tonight anchor David Muir would be there. However, it was “too late” and the decision to send Dokoupil to Taiwan was made after that.
In a statement, CBS News said that Taiwan “is at the center of the high stakes talks as China’s geopolitical tensions with Taiwan run high. Dokoupil reports on what’s at stake and why it matters for Americans.”
A CBS source told the Post that the Taiwan decision was a “cover your a**” move for the network. “This is possibly the dumbest decision in the history of broadcast news,” the source said, “Beijing will be furious when he anchors from Taiwan, which they claim as part of their territory.”
“It’s not only stupid to be in Taiwan, it’s a red rag to a bull to the Chinese,” they added. “It’s very sloppy. This trip was announced months in advance. It feels like there is no adult in charge.”
CBS Evening News, Weeknights, 6:30/5:30c, CBS
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