• The Hollywood Reporter on LinkedIn
  • Follow THR on Pinterest

Diane Sawyer Mocked on Twitter for Slurring Speech During Election Coverage

8:47 PM PST 11/6/2012 by Aaron Couch
UP: Diane Sawyer
ABC/Ida Mae Astute

TV viewers joked that the ABC News veteran was drunk or on muscle relaxers.

People took notice of Diane Sawyer’s coverage of the presidential election on ABC News, but not necessarily in the way the veteran journalist intended.

our editor recommends
Obama-Romney Election Breaks Record With 20 Million Tweets
NBC News Declares Obama Winner of 2012 Presidential Election
President Obama Wins Re-Election, Defeating Mitt Romney (Video)
Presidential Election: What Hollywood Is Saying

While speaking with such colleagues as George Stephanopoulos and Barbara Walters, a number of viewers noticed what they believed to be Sawyer slurring words. Twitter lit up, and Sawyer became a trending term Tuesday night.

STORY: Election Night: Diane Sawyer, Karl Rove Add a Dose of Weirdness to Obama Win

A number of people characterized Sawyer’s speech as resembling that of someone who had been drinking or taken muscle relaxers. 

“Diane Sawyer's name is trending. Many people saying she seems drunk on air. Alternative theory: she gets this way when she's really tired,” tweeted New York Times reporter Brian Stelter.

The Secret Circle executive producer Andrew Miller tweeted: “Diane Sawyer is either drunk or doing her classic Julia Childs as Katherine Hepburn impression.

Find tweets of other reactions to Sawyer’s election night performance below.

Philiana Ng contributed to this report.

  1. Watch Video President Obama Dancing with His Family

    President Obama Dancing with His Family

    Surrounded by supporters and friends at the inaugural ball, President Barack Obama dances with his wife and two daughters.

    Related
    MORE VIDEOS

Social & Mobile

From our partners