ESPN host Malika Andrews demonstrated remarkable poise and professionalism when a 4.4 magnitude earthquake struck the network’s Los Angeles studio during a live broadcast on Monday.
Andrews was in the middle of hosting “NBA Today” and was speaking with women’s basketball legend Rebecca Lobo about Team USA’s thrilling 67-66 gold-medal victory over France at the Paris Olympics when the studio began to shake.
Mid-sentence, Andrews calmly acknowledged the situation, saying, “As we have a bit of an earthquake here in Los Angeles, we’re just going to make sure that our studio lights and everything else stays safe. Everything’s shaking.” Her composed response was evident as she checked on the well-being of her colleagues in the studio, asking if everyone was okay. She then reassured viewers, “Thank you so much for bearing with us through that, our studio was shaking just a little bit,” before seamlessly transitioning back to the show, highlighting the U.S. women’s remarkable achievement of 61 consecutive Olympic wins.
Rebecca Lobo, who was part of the live discussion during the quake, took to social media to express her admiration for Andrews’ composure. “I was stunned by both the earthquake and how @malika_andrews handled it like a boss. Wow,” Lobo wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter), praising Andrews for her calm demeanor in a potentially frightening situation.
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Andrews herself later addressed the incident on social media, tweeting, “Definitely a scary moment here in our LA studios. Thank you to our incredible staff and crew who stayed cool throughout! Stay safe, fellow Angelenos.”
The earthquake also sparked reactions from other sports media personalities. NFL Network host Colleen Wolfe humorously admitted her lack of preparedness for such events, posting, “That earthquake just reminded me I’m completely unprepared for a natural disaster.” Meanwhile, Dodgers podcaster Blake Harris shared his own unique concern, tweeting, “Earthquakes are never fun, but they’re even scarier when you have a 200+ bobblehead collection to protect.”
Despite the unexpected interruption, Andrews’ ability to maintain her composure under pressure stood out as a testament to her professionalism, turning what could have been a chaotic moment into a display of calm leadership.
The incident highlighted not only her skills as a broadcaster but also the resilience of the team working behind the scenes to keep the show on track during an unpredictable situation.
