Weatherman had 2 panic attacks on live TV and people are praising him for how he handled them

Nate Byrne, the weatherman on “The ABC News Breakfast,” had an unimaginably terrible experience in 2022 when he suffered 2 panic attacks on live TV on the same day. He believes the first attack was triggered by being a little late to the set for his segment and having to rush.

“As I stood there under the studio lights, talking to people having their morning coffee and wiping sleep from their eyes, my heart was racing, I was gasping for breath and sweat was pouring out of every pore as my brain screamed ‘RUN!’” he later recalled.

Byrne kept his composure and finished his segment. However, 15 minutes later, he was back on the air and had another panic attack. He went to a doctor that day who prescribed beta blockers, which reduced his symptoms temporarily.

People praised Byrne for how he handled the terrifying experience in front of a live audience. “Nate handled it extremely well,” one X user wrote . “Nate is an amazing person to take this step to share with the community the various impacts anxiety can make to our lives,” another X user added. “Well done, Nate!”

While some public figures would keep quiet about their panic attacks, Byrne has gone public to create awareness about anxiety. In a special segment for ABC’s Anxiety Project Byrne spoke with Psychologist Jody Lowinger about the cause of panic attacks.

"Our brain is wired to self-protect, but it's not so great at differentiating between perceived threat and real threat,” Lowinger explained. “So, the physiological experiences that you're experiencing, that rapid shallow breathing, that rapid heart rate, and the sweatiness are all there to help us in the case that we need to run or fight. But in the case of this situation, when it's responding to that magnificent, active mind that you have, it's not very helpful."