Ingrid Andress Says ‘I Was Drunk’ During Home Run Derby National Anthem Performance, Is Checking Into Rehab (2024)

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 bullsh*t 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.”

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.

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 July 24. 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.

The letter read, in part, “I had to part ways with some people who’ve helped me make a name for myself. It sent me into what my country America calls ‘depression’ but I’m not a doctor. I was at the lowest point I’ve ever been, so I decided to go back to where I grew up in Colorado. Sometimes all it takes is time in your hometown to remember who you actually are, and you start to be proud of the person you’ve become. I hope everyone has their own Colorado to go back to when they’re feeling lost.”

Since releasing her well-reviewed second album, “Good Person,” in 2022, Andress has spent time opening for major rock and pop acts in amphitheaters and arenas, including a run with Stevie Nicks late last year and dates with Alanis Morissette last month. She also performed at the CMA Festival in Nashville last month.

Andress has been nominated for four Grammys, including best new artist in 2021. Her breakthrough single, “More Hearts Than Mine,” was a top 5 country song in 2019. She successfully followed it up with another top 5 country hit, “Wishful Drinking,” a duet with Sam Hunt, in 2021.

Before launching her own recording career with the 2020 debut album “Lady Like,” Andress was known as a songwriter for other artists, with co-writes that include Charli XCX’s “Boys” and songs by Bebe Rexha, Fletcher, LANY and others.

Andress’ performance marks the second time a major figure in country music has admitted to screwing up a high-profile performance while intoxicated. It follows in the wake of Elle King’s headline-making tribute to Dolly Parton at the Grand Ole Opry on Jan. 19, during which she forgot lyrics, slurred profanity and announced from the stage that she was “hammered.” King did not take to rehab after those gaffes, nor make any kind of apology tour — although she did cancel a handful of subsequent concert dates — taking a more defiant tone and indicating that everything was copacetic after a private conversation with Parton. “Oh no was my human showing,” King posted on her Instagram account two months after the incident, adding: “To everyone showing me love because I’m human and already talked to Dolly: I love you. To everyone who told me to k*ll myself: I love you too.”