Why Lesley Stahl's Eye During Pelosi Interview Has The Internet Talking

Lesley Stahl's interview with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is making waves after the January 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol, but not quite for the reasons you might think.

While the veteran interviewer was part of a compelling narrative that covered the events that unfolded during the riot, Stahl was spotted with a distracting bright pink left eye, which was visible every time the camera focused on her as she asked the speaker a question. It was obvious enough to trigger concerned chatter on social media. Several took to social media, with one user tweeting: "Leslie Stahl's left eye was all red. Is she okay? @60Minutes." 

Another user posted: "I don't know, looking at Leslie Stahl's bloodshot eye on 60 Minutes makes me think she and Pelosi should both get COVID tests." A third social media user had a simple explanation even if it was hugely far fetched: "Just watched the 60 Minutes interview with Pelosi. I couldn't stop looking at Leslie Stahl's red eye. That looks like pink eye to me. You know how you get pink eye? You wipe your ass, don't wash your hands, and then touch your eye. Leslie Stahl doesn't wash her hands" (via Twitter).

But it appears this is not the first time Stahl has appeared in public with an eye problem. 

Audiences got a whiff of Stahl's eye problem when promotional material of the groundbreaking interview began circulating before the weekend. Heavy says that the teasers which were shared on social media  from the show already showed Stahl with her eye issue. Heavy had apparently reached out to CBS to ask about it, but no answers were provided before the show went to air on Sunday night. But the site says it is likely that the veteran anchor might have hurt a tiny blood vessel in her eye, causing it to bleed, and that the problem would likely clear up in a few days.

The condition, which Mayo Clinic identified as a "subconjunctival hemorrhage," can be triggered by anything, from straining, vomiting, a powerful sneeze or a powerful cough. A person can also pop a blood vessel by rubbing his or her eye, or through trauma — and by that the Mayo Clinic also means dealing with a foreign object (which could be a speck) landing in your eye.

We can see why Leslie Stahl's eye caused concern and chatter among viewers. During the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, doctors had called out pinkeye or conjunctivitis as a coronavirus symptom. That symptom is only expected to occur in between 1 to 3 percent of COVID-19 cases (via WebMD).

Lesley Stahl's eye was not be the only thing that caught the audience's attention. People watching the interview also got tetchy over the fact that Stahl asked Speaker Pelosi about the advanced ages of the leadership within the Democratic caucus. One watcher tweeted: "OMG @60Minutes Leslie Stahl asking Nancy Pelosi about her age while that dinosaur sits there with pink eye is really something to behold." A second commented: "I find Leslie Stahl's attack on Speaker Pelosi's age as offensive as Peggy Noonan's criticism of Vice President Kamala Harris' dancing. Why do women do this to other women? I do not understand this at all." A third posted: "Disappointed in the Leslie Stahl 60 minutes Pelosi interview. She asked about the A word. I and Pelosi didn't understand what she meant. She made age a big issue rather than directly discuss leadership succession. Now I'm looking at her age & wondering if it's time for retirement."

Between the red eye and the conversation around the "A word" (for age) as the veteran journalist put it, Stahl certainly gave viewers plenty to talk about.