A terrifying moment unfolded live on national television when a CBS News cameraman suddenly collapsed during a broadcast from Taiwan — forcing anchor Tony Dokoupil to stop mid-sentence and urgently call for medical help on air.
Dokoupil was reporting for “CBS Evening News” on President Donald Trump’s high-stakes meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping when the shocking incident happened without warning.
As the veteran anchor spoke about growing tensions between the United States and China, a loud crash could suddenly be heard off camera.
“You will hear a lot about American decline and the rise of a powerful new China — is he OK?” Dokoupil said as the chaos unfolded behind the scenes.
The stunned anchor immediately realized something was seriously wrong.
“We’re gonna take a quick break. We have a medical emergency here. We’re calling a doctor,” Dokoupil told viewers before the live segment abruptly cut away.
Another voice from the set could also be heard desperately shouting, “Call the doctor please.”
Yikes: The 'CBS Evening News' in Taiwan — not Beijing due to reported visa issues — ended on a bizarre and premature note as someone off-screen collapsed in some sort of medical emergency pic.twitter.com/XHP0KFrLUQ
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) May 13, 2026
The frightening moment left viewers stunned as CBS quickly switched the broadcast back to New York, where correspondent Matt Gutman briefly took over the program.
CBS later confirmed the cameraman survived the scary ordeal and is now recovering.
“The cameraman is okay and recovering,” the network said in a statement after the incident.
Dokoupil had been reporting from Taipei, Taiwan, ahead of President Donald Trump’s major summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing.
According to reports, CBS was unable to secure a visa in time to broadcast directly from mainland China, so the network based its coverage in Taiwan instead.
The tense Trump-Xi meeting is expected to focus on several explosive global issues, including artificial intelligence, trade battles, the growing Taiwan crisis, and the ongoing tensions involving Iran.
Images released from Beijing showed Trump and Xi standing together during an official welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People as the two world leaders prepared for difficult negotiations.
The dramatic on-air medical emergency instantly sparked concern online, with many viewers praising Dokoupil for staying calm while handling the frightening situation live on television.
It seems to me that not only the cameraman, but the entire CBS network has been in collapse since President Trump’s victory.