Erin Andrews Talks About Peeping Tom Video with Oprah Winfrey

Erin Andrews appeared on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and talked about the peeping tom video for the first time since the internet exploded with the video of her naked in a hotel room. Erin Andrews, an ESPN sideline reporter for various sports, told Oprah Winfrey that her interview would be the first and the last done on the subject of the peeping tom video because the entire ordeal was a "nightmare" for her. And like a recurring nightmare, the Erin Andrews peeping tom video search has jumped back onto the Google Trends topic list at the top, just where it stayed in various incarnations for nearly two weeks in July.

Erin Andrews told Oprah Winfrey that the first time she ever saw the peeping tom video of herself naked and changing clothes, she couldn't believe it. "I opened up the computer and could feel my heart pounding."

She said the conversation with her parents was the worst part of it. "I mean, having to call my parents and they - they thought I was physically injured how bad I was screaming." She kept screaming, "My career is over!"

The Erin Andrews peeping tom video (referred to as the peephole video for its Google Trends dominance) actually showed up on the internet back in February but did not catch anyone's attention until someone speculated that it might be Erin Andrews. Then the rumor spread. When Erin Andrews saw the video, she was mortified and, with the help of ESPN, began combating the use of the video. Andrews' lawyers began making calls and sending e-mails for websites to pull the video. They issued a public statement that websites or anyone found to be trafficking in the video or images from it could face legal action.

The warning only seemed to exacerbate the issue. It seemed that the entire world was attempting to see Erin Andrews naked. News that viruses were being attached to pictures and video links purporting to have the Erin Andrews peeping tom video.

It was also discerned that the video was actually a collection of different videos, perhaps as many as six or seven. Rumors began to spread that it was an inside job and ESPN announced an internal investigation into the allegations.

"The Oprah Winfrey Show" episode was filmed at the beginning of September. Erin Andrews has been back to work for ESPN since then. She told Oprah that she was "excited" to get back to work. "I feel like it's really going to help me heal my wounds, and I'm ready to get on the field."

"You know, people have a story that they have to cover," Erin Andrews told Oprah, referring to the amount of airplay on television and radio, not to mention on the internet and in the press, the peeping tom video received. "But I just felt like I was continuing to be victimized. I did nothing wrong."

"But it's almost like you're - you're glorifying it," she said. "'Hey, check out this video. Check out these pictures.' There was no need to show those. I'm a crime victim."

The Erin Andrews peeping tom video was and is considered an invasion of her privacy, due to its being filmed without her knowledge. And because of lax internet laws, the video will remain on various websites indefinitely. Unlike many in the various entertainment industries, Erin Andrews had attempted for years to make it without getting naked for the camera or doing risqué pictures, calendars, videos, etc. Only a few swimsuit pictures of her exist. Despite the lack of naked pictures of her (Playboy has offered; Erin Andrews has refused), Erin Andrews popularity among men is high, having won Playboy's Sexiest Sportscaster two years in a row.

But what about the future? Andrews said, "I think it will always make me feel nervous. But I also feel it's my duty to come out and show this person, you know what? I worked hard for my career and I - I got there the right way and you're not gonna break me down."

Although some questioned her motives for going on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" (some going so far as to say that the video was a clever publicity ploy on her part because the video was actually too blurry -- due to the peephole -- to identify the blonde in the hotel room), some thought it a good idea to provide women with somewhat of a cautionary tale.

Erin Andrews began working for ESPN in 2004 to cover the National Hockey League. The 31-year-old reporter recently made the comment that she would like to cover professional football "from the booth." Given her popularity, it is believed that the matter is being considered.

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Source:

"The Oprah Winfrey Show," Harpo Productions