UPDATE: According to Business Insider, a source "close to ABC" says that on election night, Diane was exhausted, "mostly due to a lack of sleep due to a jam-packed schedule." You can read the article here.

On election night, Diane Sawyer appeared "loopy." The internet is abuzz with the question "was Diane Sawyer buzzed during the broadcast?"

Perhaps it was exhaustion. Those broadcasts go on forever; well past her east coast bedtime.

Another thought popped into my head: what if she's having a stroke? The incident was not dissimilar to videos of other broadcasters who suffered a stroke on-air.

But what if she was drunk? What if. WHAT IF? Why was she allowed to continue the broadcast on one of the most important nights on television? One of the most important nights in America?

And where is the explanation from Sawyer and ABC News to squash these rumors? You'd think an explanation would come hard and swift. Diane Sawyer is a big brand name, as is ABC News. Isn't credibility on the line?

So today, searching for an official statement I could believe (and turning up nothing), I came across this video of a younger Diane Sawyer sipping what appears to be red wine before a live broadcast, and mixing the alleged alcohol with what seems to be prescription medication.

It's probably not the best judgement call for a trusted news-anchor to drink before-or during-a broadcast, instead of after work. Pretty sure I would get fired or there would be an intervention if I was getting loopy before my radio show. Those of you who listen know I'm loopy enough sober. But maybe its par for the course. Maybe Brian Williams has a shot of Yager hidden under the news-desk. Who knows what the accepted behavior is off camera? The real question: is there a pattern here?

This video from the 2008 election night would suggest that there is.

I'm not judging Diane Sawyer's election night performance. I'm not. But I'm waiting for an explanation, as are millions of other television viewers. And if she's somehow ill, be it alcoholism or something else, I hope she gets the help she needs.

UPDATE: According to Business Insider, a source "close to ABC" says that on election night, Diane was exhausted, "mostly due to a lack of sleep due to a jam-packed schedule." You can read the article here.