ESPN reporter Laura Rutledge is known for her work as a reporter, her title as a former Miss Florida, and her marriage to former baseball player Josh Rutledge. While other achievements came with her pushing for the best, marriage required her to go a little extra. She had to take the bold step of sparking the fires of love with her husband.

“…But then, later, it was 2011,” Rutledge said on The Pivot Podcast. “Twitter was new. I slid into his DMs on Twitter. I was the one shooting. ‘Okay, I want him. I’m gonna take my shot. Oh, I’m sending a message.’ I probably thought I was tweeting publicly at him. We were doing all these different acronyms.

“And later, he told me, ‘I didn’t know what you were saying. So, I had my boy helping me trying to translate it and tell me what to say. So, later on, I was like, ‘Okay, so I thought you were this clever guy. Apparently, it was just your friend who I was talking to.”

Before the Twitter message, the pair met in 2011 at a random football tailgate in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. It was at the Alabama vs. LSU Game of the Century, where Laura was present as a reporter for FOX. As she moved around, someone soon led her to the tailgate, which was the “Alabama baseball tailgate.”

She was initially disinterested, unwilling to be in such a place with drunk baseball players. Little did she know that fate had something more for her. At the sight of Josh, she was captivated, awed by his striking resemblance to Leonardo DiCaprio. But then she was immediately turned off when she realized he was a baseball player. That did not stop them from having a discussion regardless.

The discussion started quite well, even if she admitted that “he’s striking, but he’s shy, and he disarms you a little bit because he’s so shy.” As it went on, there was an awkward interruption: Josh farted. It was an embarrassing situation that they both turned into an interesting joke. And what would have seemed like a turn-off to many was Laura’s main attraction to Josh.

“I’m interested in this guy. If I can do a fart joke, I might be known. So, we hung out that night.”

What followed this was her texting him on Twitter after a while. And they both began dating not too long after their linkup. Two years later, they got married in December 2013. Today, the marriage has produced a daughter, Reese, born in October 2019, and a son, Jack, born in May 2023.

Laura Rutledge suspended her career after marriage

Laura’s commitment to her marriage is unquestionable, as evidenced by the countless sacrifices she has made for it. Despite having a decent career in her early years in broadcasting, Laura was quick to put it on hold for her marriage.

“It’s so funny because when we met and when we got married, I was like, ‘I’m gonna be a baseball wife.’ That’s I’m gonna do,” said Rutledge during her Saturday appearance on The Pivot Podcast. “And I had a good job at the time. I worked for Fox Sports San Diego, covering the Padres, and they were in the same division as the Rockies. And I’m like, ‘I’m not covering the team that you’re going to be playing. Like, that’s just weird.

“I want to support you, so I quit that job. I gave that job up. And I mean, it was good for a 25-year-old. I was making good money. I was living in San Diego. I was loving it. And all of a sudden, it was kind of all gone. And I thought, ‘Okay, I’m going to fully commit to him.’ We got a dog; like, we’re not ready for kids yet.”

After eight months, Laura was “driving him crazy,” and they both agreed that she should resume her career. And now, she is the sideline reporter for the Monday Night Football crew, alongside Troy Aikman, Joe Buck, and Lisa Salters. She also remains a major face during ESPN’s coverage for the NFL Draft, the CFP, and The Masters.