Entertainment
Ingrid Andress Says ‘I Was Drunk’ During Home Run Derby National Anthem Performance, Is Checking Into Rehab
Jess Williams
Country star Ingrid Andress has made a startling revelation on her social accounts, admitting that she was intoxicated while singing the National Anthem before baseball’s annual Home Run Derby on Monday night, and saying she is planning to check into a rehab facility in the wake of the tumult over her disastrous performance.
“I’m not gonna bullshit y’all, I was drunk last night,” she wrote on Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter). “I’m checking myself into a facility today to get the help I need. That was not me last night. I apologize to MLB, all the fans, and this country I love so much for that rendition. I’ll let y’all know how rehab is. I hear it’s super fun.” She signed the missive “xo, Ingrid.”
Speculation had privately run rampant that Andress seemed to be suffering from more than just in-ear problems during her performance at the Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, which caused many viewers to say it was the worst version of “The Star-Spangled Banner” they’d heard prior to a major sports performance. Her rendition seemed wildly off-key from the moment she hit the microphone and never recovered — a performance highly out of character for a singer-songwriter known for being an accomplished pro.
Fellow singers left messages of sympathy as comments on her social accounts.
“Love you girl,” wrote Julia Michaels. “I’m sorry you’re going through this. And I’m sorry the world can be so cruel. Here for you xx.”
Wrote fellow country star Carly Pearce: “I’m sending you love, Ingrid. Being this open takes a lot. You’ve got this. Hang in there.”
Earlier on Monday, before her performance, Andress had sent out a letter to her email mailing list, previewing her upcoming single, “Colorado 9,” which was due to be released later this month. In the letter to fans, she confessed that she had suffered from depression after severing some of the relationships with people who had been a part of her career’s beginnings, but said she had found peace recently by retreating for a time to her native Colorado.
Social media was quick to jump on the performance Monday night, comparing it to Fergie’s disastrous live version of “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the 2018 NBA All-Star Game and Roseanne Barr’s infamous rendition of the song at a Padres game in 1990.