Erin Andrews’ Nude Video Scandal Testimony Reveals ESPN Forced Her To Do An Interview About Event Before Returning To Air
Erin Andrews was best known as an ESPN college football reporter. More recently, though, she has been the co-host on Dancing with the Stars alongside Tom Bergeron. Andrews has been exposed on the internet through nude photos and videos, and now she is suing the hotel where it happened and the man who filmed the video and took the photos. The scandal happened in 2009, and Andrews is finally getting her day in court. She is asking $75 million in damages from the Nashville hotel and the man who stole her privacy out from under her.
Testimony in the Erin Andrews trial began just recently, but it has been an emotional rollercoaster for all involved. Andrews’ dad testified, and the reaction in the courtroom was overwhelming. Andrews had her turn on the stand yesterday, and what she revealed was sad. According to Us Weekly, Erin Andrews claims that ESPN made her do an interview about the violation before she was allowed to return to her job. Initially, they wanted the interview to be done on Good Morning America, but Andrews was not comfortable with that. She wanted it to be about her experience, not whether or not it was a scandal or something to further her career. Instead of choosing what her employer wanted, Andrews went to Oprah because she knew it would be the best route. As it turns out, it was exactly what she had hoped, and Andrews was allowed to return to reporting for ESPN college football shortly after the interview aired.
Michael David Barrett was convicted of the crime against Erin Andrews. He reportedly requested the room directly next to Andrews, and the hotel obliged. As it turns out, his deposition from 2013 was aired in Andrews’ case. Barrett spent two and a half years in prison for what he did to Andrews. He is out now and named in the $75 million lawsuit along with the Nashville hotel. Barrett cut a peephole between the two rooms, and began videotaping and taking photos of Andrews. It was immediately leaked online, and that is when everything changed for Erin Andrews.
Today is the second day of Erin Andrews’ testimony. Yesterday was emotional for the sportscaster and Dancing with the Stars co-host. She looked worn down, and her face was red from crying. According to TMZ, Erin Andrews will likely be cross-examined by the defense attorneys at some point today. This is going to put a lot more pressure on the already fragile Andrews. While there is no clear indication how much longer the trial will go on, the sooner it ends, the better for everyone involved. Andrews has shed a lot of tears and relived a lot of pain she has experienced over this single incident.
The next several days will be tough on Erin Andrews. Yesterday began her testimony in the nude videotaping and photo scandal, and she is still at it today. Last week, Andrews’ father was on the stand and became overly emotional when describing what happened when his daughter found out the video was leaked online. Andrews had previously been an incredibly private person, and this violation of privacy was something she never anticipated. She is still devastated seven years later. While there is no inclination on how the judge will rule in the $75 million lawsuit, supporters of Andrews hope she gets a little bit of justice against the hotel as well as the man who wronged her. This incident can never be undone, and she will forever be on the internet, naked and exposed. Erin Andrews has had a hard time coping with what happened to her, and the impact it has had on her life has been debilitating at points.
[Photo by Erika Goldring/Getty Images]
