ESPN Host Handles Los Angeles Earthquake During Live Interview Like A Total Pro In Viral Video

A 4.4 magnitude earthquake rocked the southern California region Monday morning.

Although there were no reports of major damages or injuries, it still rattled the nerves of locals who felt the tremor originating from its epicenter in Highland Park in northeast Los Angeles.

That didn't stop ESPN host Malika Andrews from keeping her cool when the quake hit during a live video interview with basketball analyst and former WNBA star Rebecca Lobo.

When the studio began shaking, Andrews didn't miss a beat while discussing the 2024 Paris Olympics women's basketball final on the NBA Today program.

"It was so much fun to see, particularly the crowd sort of getting behind...," she said, and switched gears in the same breath, saying "...as we have a bit of an earthquake here in Los Angeles.”

The ESPN pundit paused the interview and kept Lobo and viewers in the loop about the situation.

She continued:

“So we’re just going to make sure that our studio lights [and] everything stays safe. Everything is shaking.”

Andrews made eye contact with the camera crew members to ensure they were okay and that the studio's lighting rig above was still secure.

When things settled, the calm pro continued:

“Thank you so much for bearing with us through that. Our studio was shaking just a little bit."

Here's a TikTok clip.

After she made sure her in-ear monitor was still functioning, Andrews thanked Lobo for her patience and resumed with the topic of the U.S. women's basketball team's 61 consecutive winning streak at the Olympics as if nothing happened.

For Andrews, it was all in a shakey day's work.
 

Sports media analysis channel Awful Announcing was impressed with how Andrews maintained her poise.

They wrote on X (formerly Twitter):

"ESPN Los Angeles studio shaking from an earthquake during NBA Today and Malika Andrews handled it like a pro."

Afterward, Andrews took to her socials and had a message for LA locals who might have been reeling from shock during the quake.

"Definitely a scary moment here in our LA studios," she wrote, adding:

"Thank you to our incredible staff and crew who stayed cool throughout! Stay safe, fellow Angelenos."

Lobo was being interviewed on livestream from the more stable ground of her Connecticut home.

She was seen on the monitor observing the distressing situation with concern during the broadcast and was blown away by how Andrews conducted herself in the scary situation.

"I was stunned by both the earthquake and how @malika_andrews handled it like a boss," wrote Lobo on X.

"Wow."

Social media users also weighed in on Andrews' masterclass in handling a panic moment.

Monday's earthquake was originally registered as a 4.7 magnitude earthquake, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Although it was downgraded to a 4.4 magnitude, the shaking was 7.5 miles deep and was felt from San Diego County to Simi Valley and out to Victorville and Redlands, according to a U.S. Geological Survey map.

Earthquakes with a magnitude of 4 to 5 are generally light tremors that can be felt but rarely cause severe damage.

Other recent quakes in the California region included one near Barstow with a magnitude of 4.9 on July 29 and another with a 5.2 magnitude near Bakersfield last Tuesday.