We made it through Week 1 of the NFL season, and with the start of Week 2 comes the second edition of Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime. The Prime-exclusive coverage commences for the 2023 season with a good NFC matchup between the reigning NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles and the Minnesota Vikings, who are looking to go further than just a one-round playoff exit in the new year.
Prime has once again put together a strong team to guide us through all the action this season. The team includes well-known and respected announcers such as Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit, trusted sideline reporters like Kaylee Hartung, and former players turned analysts with real-life perspectives with Richard Sherman, Tony Gonzalez, and Ryan Fitzpatrick.
With a star-studded lineup in place for Year 2, let’s take a closer look at Hartung to get to know her better as she provides on-field updates for fans all season long.
Who Is Thursday Night Football Sideline Reporter Kaylee Hartung?
Hartung joined Prime Video’s Thursday Night Football crew prior to its inaugural season in 2022, where she joined the broadcast team with Michaels and Herbstreit as the team’s sideline reporter. When Hartung is not roaming the sidelines on Thursday nights, she is a contributing correspondent for NBC’s TODAY Show.
Philadelphia Eagles’ #FlyEaglesFly star Jason Kelce and his wife open up about the new Prime Video documentary "Kelce" that pulls back the curtain on life in the NFL. @KayleeHartung shares the story. pic.twitter.com/s9JCmDbgGK
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) September 12, 2023
While Hartung has a rich sports background, a lot of her professional work has come from reporting roles outside of the NFL, where she has spent time with ABC’s Good Morning America, World News Tonight with David Muir, and Nightline.
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There she covered top headlines and interviewed notable figures in and out of the sports world.
Hartung’s Early Life
Hartung was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where she graduated from Episcopal High School in 2003. She earned two Bachelor of Arts degrees in journalism and politics from Washington and Lee University before embarking on her career as a reporter and correspondent.
Hartung Before Thursday Night Football
Hartung would begin at NBC as an intern, and she began her career as an assistant to Bob Schieffer, which led to an associate producer position on Face the Nation. Hartung would then go on to join ESPN working specifically as a correspondent for the SEC Network.
Following the SEC stint, Hartung joined CNN in 2017 before leaving the network to join ABC News in 2019. She stayed with ABC until 2022, when she would eventually join her team and current role here with Amazon Prime on the Thursday Night Football broadcast, in addition to doing sports and news work for NBC.