Erin Andrews is popular in the NFL community, known as a successful sportscaster and television personality. She first became prominent in 2004 after she joined ESPN. She later moved to FOX Sports in 2012, and works as the lead sideline reporter for their NFL broadcasting team.
Her years of work in the field have made her a prominent NFL reporter. However, she suffered during the past season and has now opened up about it.
Andrews recently opened up about a terrible family health crisis she had to face during the 2025 holiday season which continued into early 2026. She talked about it on April 9, 2026, during an episode of her podcast, [Calm Down with Erin and Charissa](https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-calm-down-with-erin-and-c-77416573/episode/episode-407-no-undergarments-ai-hairstyles-329552765/).
Dec 8, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Fox Sports sideline reporter Erin Andrews during the game between the Buffalo Bills and the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
She recounted how her father Steve suffered a sudden heart attack directly in front of his wife, daughters, and son-in-law Jarret Stoll. It happened during Christmas Eve 2025, when all the family gathered in Montana. He had to be taken to a hospital with a medical helicopter as they were in a remote location.
She said, “I didn’t discuss this at the time but over Christmas, it was just hellacious and horrible, but it ended up having a great ending. My dad had a heart attack in Montana with us and it was awful. And it was right in front of us. I’m very proud of my sister, my mom, Jarret, and me for springing into crazy town action and getting paramedics. My dad was life-flighted to another hospital.”
While the horrific incident was over, her father experienced symptoms of a second heart attack shortly afterward, which required medical attention once again. She thanked the medical staff and the helicopter crew for their heroic actions. However, her misery did not end.
During the same podcast episode, co-host Charissa Thompson revealed that her own paternal grandmother had passed away the previous week. Thompson shared the news while sitting with Andrews, noting she felt grateful to have had many years with her grandmother. She said, “My grandma passed away. And it was while I was there with my dad, and my dad got the phone call that his mom had passed away. And I feel, I’m not going to cry about it, but it’s like, I feel grateful that I’m 44 years old.”
Andrews then talked about the importance of having a strong ‘patient advocate’ during medical emergencies and explained that she stayed largely silent on social media to focus on supporting her family. She highlighted the emotional toll these events took while she continued her professional duties.
As of April 2026, her father is reported to be recovering. Andrews is now preparing to cover the upcoming 2026 NFL season.