Laura Rutledge

Laura Rutledge has been married to Joshua Alan Rutledge since December 7, 2013. Joshua Rutledge is a retired Major League Baseball infielder and a real estate agent who owns West Alabama Ford.

The couple's daughter, Reese Katherine Rutledge, was born on October 2, 2019, which is also Laura's birthday. Their son, Jack Alexander Rutledge, was born on May 25, 2023. The family resides in Connecticut.

Rutledge began her public career in pageantry. She won the Miss Florida title on July 7, 2012, succeeding Kristina Janolo. Her competition talent was ballet.

She represented Florida at the Miss America 2013 pageant, where she competed alongside Mallory Hagan, the New York representative who won the national title. Rutledge studied broadcast journalism at the University of Florida and received the university's 2011 Red Barber Award for Excellence in Broadcasting.

Rutledge worked as a sideline reporter for Fox Sports, covering broadcasts of Tampa Bay Rays and San Diego Padres games. She also reported on the 2012 National Paintball Championship for Fox College Sports. In 2013, she hosted Chargers Insider and SD Live for the San Diego Chargers and Fox Sports San Diego, serving as producer and host of SD Live.

She joined ESPN and the SEC Network in 2014. Her early ESPN and college football work included hosting the Coors Light PostGame show and halftime programming. She was named host of the SEC Network's SEC Nation in 2017, a position she held from 2016 through 2025, and became host of ESPN's NFL Live in 2020.

Rutledge's ESPN responsibilities have included hosting NFL Live, reporting from Monday Night Football, and contributing to coverage of the NFL Pro Bowl Games and NFL Draft. She also works on College Football Playoff broadcasts and regularly joins Holly Rowe on the sidelines for major college football matchups. In October 2022, she worked ESPN+'s first exclusive NFL game at Wembley Stadium in London.

In 2024, Rutledge joined ESPN's Masters Tournament coverage as host of Welcome to the Masters. Her broader broadcast work has included SportsCenter, Get Up, college basketball, gymnastics, baseball, softball, the College Football Awards, the ESPYs, the NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships, and the Women's College World Series. She also serves as an ambassador for the Miracle League, an organization that builds baseball fields for children with disabilities.