{"id":765824,"date":"2026-07-16T07:32:21","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T07:32:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/765824\/"},"modified":"2026-07-16T07:32:21","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T07:32:21","slug":"how-erin-andrews-charissa-thompson-built-an-nfl-podcast-that-goes-beyond-football","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/765824\/","title":{"rendered":"How Erin Andrews, Charissa Thompson built an NFL podcast that goes beyond football"},"content":{"rendered":"

Erin Andrews is used to running after Kyle Shanahan.<\/p>\n

Fox microphone in one hand, notebook in the other, Andrews has learned a thing or two about coaches\u2019 habits in her years on the NFL sidelines. For the 49ers coach, it\u2019s his speed, always keeping Andrews on her toes when it\u2019s time to track him down for an interview.<\/p>\n

Which is why, before a recent halftime interview, it took Andrews by surprise when Shanahan didn\u2019t run. He stopped.<\/p>\n

\u201cI go, \u2018Why\u2019d you do that?\u2019 And he goes, \u2018Heard about the podcast,\u2019\u201d Andrews said in a recent interview with The Athletic. \u201cFor Kyle Shanahan, who\u2019s trying to figure out how to defend Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams, it was so cool. It just gives you a little bit of insight into the reach we have.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe podcast\u201d is the one Andrews hosts with fellow sportscaster and good friend Charissa Thompson. The duo started their show five years ago, with the goal of peeling back the curtain on their daily lives, from their jobs covering the NFL to relationship advice to health and beauty tips. Thompson, who hosts \u201cThursday Night Football\u201d on Amazon Prime, has heard her fair share of feedback from peers, too.<\/p>\n

\"Head<\/a><\/p>\n

\n Erin Andrews, left, has learned a few tricks about tracking down 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan. (Maddie Meyer \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

\u201cI walk into a production meeting, and (analyst) Ryan (Fitzpatrick) asked, \u2018How are Erin\u2019s eyebrows?\u2019 And I\u2019m like, \u2018What?\u2019\u201d Thompson recalled. \u201c(He said) \u2018I heard on the pod they\u2019re growing like crazy and she doesn\u2019t know what to do.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was like, \u2018Ryan, you have seven children, how do you have any time to worry about Erin\u2019s eyebrows?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Sideline rundowns and eyebrow appointments is perhaps the perfect dichotomy of topics to summarize \u201cCalm Down with Erin and Charissa<\/a>.\u201d Apple Podcasts describes the show as \u201ca text chain put into a podcast.\u201d Thompson says it\u2019s: \u201cGirlfriends talking like girlfriends would, it just so happens to also revolve around our jobs that are intertwined.\u201d<\/p>\n

How the NFL came into its celebrity era<\/p>\n

Jayna Bardahl<\/p>\n

In a crowded NFL podcasting space, Andrews said \u201cCalm Down\u201d stands out because of the perspective of its hosts. The duo will confess that their best NFL recap episodes are brainstormed in hotel bars and airport lounges. And while in most episodes Andrews and Thompson take a step away from their traditional interviewer roles, they\u2019ve welcomed a varied guest list that started with comedian Kevin Hart on the pilot, and has since included sports legends (Derek Jeter, Wayne Gretzky), broadcasters (Dan Patrick) and actresses (Cameron Diaz).<\/p>\n

On the show, Andrews and Thompson discuss their best travel hacks and birthday celebrations (which they share: May 4). They haven\u2019t shied away from deeper topics either, including discussions on divorce and infertility.<\/p>\n

As for the name, not only is it a nod to one of their favorite songs by Taylor Swift<\/a> (with whom they have vacationed in the offseason and whose wedding<\/a> they attended this summer), it\u2019s a common phrase they\u2019ve told each other as friends navigating life in the public eye of sports broadcasting.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe used to talk to each other all the time and be like, \u2018OK, calm down,\u2019\u201d Andrews said.<\/p>\n

Andrews, 48, and Thompson, 44, first met when their respective work assignments for ESPN and Big Ten Network overlapped at a Big Ten men\u2019s basketball tournament. A few years later, in June 2011, Thompson joined ESPN; she vividly remembers her first day.<\/p>\n

\u201cI get out of the car and I\u2019m walking up to the building and before I even make it to the door, (Andrews) comes flying out the front door of the building. \u2026 And she goes, \u2018I am here for whatever you need, anything you need. Anything you could want. I\u2019m here as a resource, lean on me,\u2019\u201d Thompson said. \u201cI still get emotional thinking about it because in this industry, it\u2019s really hard to find an ally and especially someone of her caliber who was doing it at the highest level.\u201d<\/p>\n

Individually, the women continued to establish themselves in the years that followed, each trying their hand in entertainment, too. Andrews hosted \u201cDancing with the Stars\u201d from 2014 to 2019, while Thompson appeared on \u201cExtra\u201d from 2014 to 2017.<\/p>\n

\"Charissa<\/a><\/p>\n

\n Charissa Thompson hosts NFL shows for Fox and Amazon\u2019s Prime Video. (Michael Reaves \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

All roads led back to football, where Andrews has been the sideline reporter for Fox\u2019s lead crew since 2014 and Thompson splits hosting duties for \u201cFox NFL Kickoff\u201d and Amazon Prime Video\u2019s \u201cThursday Night Football.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2021, they launched \u201cCalm Down\u201d with many of the same goals the show still has today. They\u2019ll half-jokingly admit they chose to start a podcast because, well, everyone else was doing one. But it was also born from knowing they both had more to share \u2014 personally and professionally \u2014 outside the limited screen time they get during an NFL broadcast.<\/p>\n

\u201cComing from the TV world, I remember the first podcast we did, I was like, OK, we need a rundown. And our producer was like, \u2018Here\u2019s an outline, but the whole point of a podcast is to just talk,\u2019\u201d Thompson said. \u201cIt\u2019s important to have structure, but also have some freedom within the structure. It\u2019s just a different medium for us, but I really love it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The friends share a running notes doc for topic ideas that\u2019s \u201con fire\u201d during the NFL season with a perfectly chaotic mix of on-field takes and live television mishaps.<\/p>\n

Even during this interview, when discussing how they debrief their game days, Andrews started to laugh quietly. Thompson asked what it was, to which Andrews explained that she was thinking back to a Kansas City Chiefs game she covered in blazing heat, and the inner monologue going through her head during her postgame live hit with quarterback Patrick Mahomes.<\/p>\n

\"Kansas<\/a><\/p>\n

\n Erin Andrews said she is \u201cpumped\u201d anytime she gets Patrick Mahomes as a postgame guest. (Jason Hanna \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

\u201cAnytime you get Mahomes in a postgame, you\u2019re just pumped,\u201d Andrews said. \u201cHe had a crazy run or something like that and I turned and was like \u2018Patrick\u2019 \u2014 and he didn\u2019t do this \u2014 but my inner monologue, as I\u2019m interviewing the face of our league, and he\u2019s giving great answers and I\u2019m asking him about the run but I\u2019m thinking to myself, \u2018God, he\u2019s thinking this chick has gotten so old.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

As Andrews explained in an October 2024 episode, the combination of the heat, the makeup she kept having to reapply and her feeling of dehydration had her thinking, \u201cI know I look 147 right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere can you get perspective like that?\u201d she and Thompson laugh. \u201cYou know, where else?\u201d<\/p>\n

The years of \u201cCalm Down\u201d have also seen both women grow through different phases of their lives. They\u2019ve found camaraderie with their audience in sharing major life events.<\/p>\n

Andrews has been open about her battle with cervical cancer in 2016 and her struggles with infertility. After nine years of IVF, she shared the news in a 2023 episode titled \u201cMotherhood\u201d of the day she and her husband, former NHL player Jarret Stoll, welcomed their son Mack.<\/p>\n

Two years later, in May 2025, Andrews recorded an emotional episode on the same day her surrogate miscarried. \u201cWe got some real s\u2014ty news today,\u201d Andrews said. She said that she initially didn\u2019t want to record, but ultimately came to the decision that work felt like a safe space, even with Thompson away and producer Ryan Musick stepping in as co-host.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m always so shocked how many people reach out about that and say, \u2018Thank you so much for being so honest,\u2019\u201d Andrews said. \u201cThose waiting rooms are packed. So many people are having problems with getting pregnant, having a baby, getting eggs, making embryos. I am right up there on that list. And I just decided, I\u2019m not going to freaking candy-coat this anymore. I\u2019m not going to be quiet about it.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you can tell people, show people they\u2019re not alone and be like, look, it doesn\u2019t matter who you are and what you do for a living, I\u2019m struggling, too. And be there for them. I\u2019ve enjoyed that. It\u2019s helped me kind of grieve and deal and all that. I\u2019ve been grateful for the platform for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thompson has been transparent about her struggles in relationships, including going through her second divorce in 2022.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was hard for me to fail the first time. And then it was really hard for me to fail the second time because I don\u2019t like failing, but also knowing that it\u2019s OK to be vulnerable about why those things failed,\u201d Thompson said. \u201cIt\u2019s refreshing to know that other people have the same issues and we commiserate, whether it\u2019s acne or divorce or infertility, altogether.\u201d<\/p>\n

The podcast has also lived through controversy. In a 2022 episode with guest Jay Cutler, Thompson told a story about covering the Detroit Lions during their 0-16 season and how she would \u201cmake up\u201d reports.<\/p>\n

\u201c(Head coach) Rod Marinelli, at halftime, I was like, \u2018Oh, coach, what adjustments are you going to make at halftime?\u2019 He goes, \u2018That\u2019s a great perfume you\u2019re wearing.\u2019 I was like, \u2018Oh f\u2014, this isn\u2019t going to work,\u2019\u201d Thompson said. \u201cLiterally, I\u2019m like, all right, I got to make up a report. I\u2019m not kidding. I made up a report.\u201d<\/p>\n

Andrews agreed: \u201cI\u2019ve done that too for a coach that I didn\u2019t want to throw under the bus because he was telling me all the wrong stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n

The comments resurfaced when Thompson retold the story on the \u201cPardon My Take\u201d podcast in 2023, but this time, they garnered more public criticism. Thompson apologized in an Instagram post, saying she \u201cnever lied,\u201d and chose the wrong words. Andrews\u2019 spokeswoman Jill Fritzo provided a statement to the New York Times that said her words were also misunderstood.<\/p>\n

The podcasts\u2019 fanbase has grown through live shows at the Super Bowl and, in May, at the Netflix Is A Joke Festival. They also answer viewer questions in episodes they call \u201cThe Pregame,\u201d which is often filled with aspiring broadcasters looking for advice and career guidance.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know we can make it bigger. We know we can commit more to it. And those are all conversations we are having right now,\u201d Andrews said. \u201cI think it\u2019s been nice to pull the curtain back and show people a side of us, a side of our friendship, a side of stories on the road that they never thought about.\u201d<\/p>\n

So, with a podcast that covers so many topics, what does the pair think people need to calm down about? For Andrews, it\u2019s a lesson that is applicable on the field and off of it.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s with the NFL and just with life: the comments,\u201d Andrews said. \u201cJust because you\u2019re going through something in your life to put down other people, other players. What\u2019s going on?\u201d<\/p>\n

And for Thompson, it\u2019s a well-timed reminder to avoid the overreactions. After all, the NFL season is just eight weeks away. Get the notes app ready.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf your team loses in the first couple of weeks, calm the f\u2014 down,\u201d Thompson said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Erin Andrews is used to running after Kyle Shanahan. Fox microphone in one hand, notebook in the other,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":765825,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[63],"tags":[349,99,1794],"class_list":["post-765824","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nfl","tag-nfl","tag-sports","tag-sports-business"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/765824","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=765824"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/765824\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/765825"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=765824"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=765824"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=765824"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}