Exclusive: Erin Andrews Says Ageist Comments ‘Sting’ but It’s ‘Part of the Gig’: ‘We Have To Love Ourselves’

As an NFL reporter on FOX, Erin Andrews is on sidelines and TV screens every week during football season. She makes it look effortless — the unflappable interviews! the coats! the charisma! — but don’t kid yourself: the job comes with a demanding schedule that strains both physical and mental health. And being in the spotlight sets her up for all kinds of online commentary about everything from her clothes to her looks to her choice of interview questions. As Andrews tells SheKnows, “People all have their opinions.”

In December, a commenter on X decided to make a few unprompted comments about Andrews’ appearance. Specifically, they decided that she’s simply “too old now,” because they could “visibly see the wrinkles on the HD.” Despite a “great run” for Andrews, they added, it was clearly time “for a younger blonde/brunette to take over.” As outraged fans flocked to Andrews’ defense, the reporter herself took a humorous approach to shut it all down. “Don’t even think you need HD to see them,” she wrote. “But [appreciate] you pointing them out bud!”

Reflecting on the moment a few months later, Andrews shrugs it off. “It’s just, unfortunately, part of the gig,” she says. “If I’m going to be on television… there are always people that are going to take shots.” Of course, critiquing someone for getting older is particularly ridiculous, because, well, isn’t that happening to all of us? “Sometimes you just feel like being like, ‘Congratulations on being so perfect and not aging,'” Andrews jokes. “‘Good for you for not getting old!’ But I know that’s not the case.”

At the same time, Andrews takes some perspective on moments like this. “We really have to appreciate our bodies and everything that they go through, in the grand scheme of things,” Andrews says. “Does it sting to kind of get older? Yeah, but is that the worst thing that’s happening? We have to really love ourselves, care about ourselves, take care of ourselves.”

And Andrews makes self-care a priority, despite her busy schedule. She spoke to SheKnows just two days after working the NFC Championship in Philadelphia; later, she says, she’s going to a fitting for her Super Bowl sideline look. (And yes, the fashion designer gave us a hint of what to expect: it’ll be “little nod to one of my favorite pop stars, and maybe an era that she had.”) It all sounds fun and glamorous, and Andrews definitely makes it look that way, confidently delivering her reports and interviewing NFL stars without batting an eye. But behind the scenes, there’s more chaos than you’d think.

“My job is very fast-paced,” Andrews explains. On game days, she barely has time to sit down; she can’t even recall if she drank any water at that game in Philadelphia. She definitely skipped lunch, though she did make time for “four bites of a meatball sub because we’re in Philly, and they’re delicious.”

When she’s not chasing down interviews on the sideline or jetting from coast to coast, Andrews is intentional about her time and taking care of herself physically and mentally. “I really try to make sure I work out,” she says. “I got home yesterday after a long flight, and today, I made sure that I was at a 7 a.m. workout class. I just needed it.”

Another challenge is chronic dry eye, a condition Andrews has dealt with for years. “I just accepted that that’s how my eyes were supposed to feel: kind of gritty, scratchy,” Andrews recalls. “I was always blinking a lot, and I just thought, ‘Oh, I’m tired.'” After getting a diagnosis, Andrews was prescribed Miebo from Bausch + Lomb and now partners with the brand to promote the medication.

“I love it on the road,” she says. “[I’m in] different climates every single week, I’m on a plane usually for five to six hours at a time. I’m in hotel rooms with different heat and air conditioning… I’m looking and reading my notes on a laptop all the time… all those things, I found out, contribute to dry eyes. I didn’t really know about any of that until I started using Miebo and talking to my doctor about it.”

It all comes back to making herself a priority, something the ultra-busy working mom is being more deliberate about than ever. Exercise is high on the list — “I need to move my body,” Andrews says — and so is staying hydrated and getting rest, “especially now that I’m older,” she explains.

It has to do with mental wellness too. “You have people making comments about the way you look,” she says. “I’m in front of the camera, I’m tired. So mentally, you want to make sure you’re sharp as well.” That’s another reason why she’s so strict about getting “30 minutes, 40 minutes, 50 minutes on a treadmill at a workout class,” whenever she can, Andrews adds — “because that makes me feel good about myself, too.”

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