ESPN host Laura Rutledge has laid bare her battles with anxiety after taking on a new role with the network during their coverage of the 2025 NFL season.
In August last year, Rutledge, 37, made a move to the sidelines for ‘Monday Night Football’, having previously hosted the network’s daily ‘NFL Live’ show.
It marked a major career move for Rutledge – who is also a host for ABC and the SEC Network – as she switched into a full-time role as a sideline reporter.
While some would only think of the glamor that could come with such a promotion, Rutledge has revealed that the promotion also brought on a wave of anxiety for her.
Speaking on the Sons and Daughters podcast on Wednesday, she said: ‘I deal with that [anxiety] every day, I really do.
‘I think there’s probably some people out there in the world that go to their TV job and feel great about it every day, that has never happened to me.
ESPN host Laura Rutledge has laid bare her battles with anxiety after taking on a new role
In August last year, Rutledge, 37, made a move to the sidelines for ‘Monday Night Football’
‘I can know inside of me I’m capable of doing these things and yet be my own worst enemy the whole time. Beating myself down or telling myself I can’t do it.’
Delving specifically into the role for ‘Monday Night Football’, the 37-year-old admitted that she would be struggling with self-doubt even on gameday.
‘I had a lot of trouble with that this past season,’ she said.
‘Before the day would start, psyching myself out and being like ‘You’re not gonna be able to do this, you’re gonna have a big mess up today,’ beating myself down so bad.’
However, she admitted that once the cameras were rolling, these nerves soon faded.
‘By the time I would get to the game, I’d be like ‘Oh, I’m fine,’ Rutledge said.
‘I had to prove to myself every single one of those Mondays that I could actually do it again, which is wild because I couldn’t convince myself that I had done it last week.’
During her first season as a sideline reporter, Rutledge went viral after Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert brushed her aside when she asked for an interview.
The 37-year-old admitted that she would be struggling with self-doubt even on gameday
The MNF sideline reporter attempted to pull the signal caller, who is dating singer Madison Beer, to get his postgame interview but he initially snubbed her.
As Rutledge tried to get Herbert’s attention, he told her that he was ‘trying to celebrate with my team,’ before walking away.
Undeterred, Rutledge continued to persuade him to talk to ESPN ‘really fast.’ Herbert eventually stopped but didn’t appear impressed with the interruption.
Meanwhile, Rutledge is on track to be on the sidelines when ESPN broadcasts Super Bowl LXI in 2027 from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
It’s set to be the first time that ESPN will ever broadcast the Super Bowl.
