Another Live TV Disaster

I've had several stupid moments on Live TV. Nearly all have been due to some level of a lack of self-control or experience. I said the wrong thing. I laughed at the wrong time. I messed up the words.

Tonight, I can say without a doubt that it wasn't my fault.

I was in the middle of a script when my voice...simply stopped working. I tried to cough it away but it was to no avail. Nothing would come out. Things would have been fairly okay had my co-anchor taken over and explained my predicament.

But no.

He knew I had a sudden throat spasm but thought that it passed quickly. He assumed my turning away from the camera and my inability to speak was due to a laughing fit I was having.

I was not laughing. I was choking.

But he thought I was laughing. Which in turn made him laugh...a lot. Luckily we were close to a commercial break. He was barely able to get through it. I can't fault him though. I may have reacted the same way.

I couldn't even continue with the news. I tried but my voice failed me. I've always wondered what would happen if I had to sneeze or if something happened to my voice in the middle of a newscast. Now I know. It wasn't pretty.