Erin Andrews Recalls Privacy Violation That Nearly Derailed Her Career

Sportscaster Erin Andrews has opened up about the emotional impact of a 2008 stalking incident in which a man secretly recorded her through the peephole of her hotel room.

Andrews was working for ESPN and covering college football when Michael David Barrett filmed her without her knowledge. One of the recordings, showing Andrews nude, was posted online in 2009 and quickly spread across the internet.

Speaking on the Call Her Daddy podcast, Andrews recalled learning about the video from a friend who worked at a blog. She initially refused to believe the claim, but became distraught after watching the footage and realizing she had been secretly recorded.

Andrews immediately called her parents and feared the scandal would end her broadcasting career. She said she worried that viewers and colleagues would no longer see her as a respected sportscaster.

“I just said to my dad, ‘It’s over. My career’s over. Like, no one’s going to take me seriously ever again,’” Andrews recalled.

Barrett was arrested by the FBI three months after the video was posted. He pleaded guilty to interstate stalking in 2009 and served more than two years in prison.

Andrews later sued Barrett and two hotel companies, arguing that the hotels had allowed him to obtain rooms next to hers. In 2016, a jury awarded Andrews $55 million in damages. By then, however, the video had been viewed by more than 16 million people.

Despite the trauma, Andrews said returning to football helped her cope. She described the field as a “safe space,” even while acknowledging the irony of reporting to millions of viewers there.

She said she continued working through other difficult periods, including her diagnosis and treatment for cervical cancer, because returning to the field gave her a sense of stability.