ESPN analyst roasted for ‘MAGA orange makeup’ while covering Texas-Tennessee football matchup

ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit has been taunted by viewers at home over his botched makeup.

Herbstreit is on hand for the highly anticipated Texas-Tennessee college football matchup, taking place at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville.

After his College GameDay appearance on the network Saturday morning, Herbstreit was reporting from inside the stadium ahead of kickoff when fans noted his uneven makeup job.

“Someone tell Kirk Herbstreit make up personnel to do a better job,” one person wrote on X as another said, “Kirk HERBSTREIT looks like he has a clown face on today.”

“Kirk herbstreit needs to take his ass back to ulta and ask for a refund,” another wrote alongside a screenshot showing the analyst’s uneven eyebrows and smattering of orange-colored makeup across his face.

Kirk herbstreit needs to take his ass back to ulta and ask for a refund pic.twitter.com/CBWiHAM9rE

— Man, Unprompted (@ManUnprompted) September 26, 2026

“Someone tell Kirk Herbstreit to fix his make up,” someone else chimed in.

“Kirk herbstreit got his maga orange makeup on today,” another said, referring to Donald Trump’s attendance at the game.

Trump received a mixed reaction from the crowd when he was announced. Both boos and cheers could be heard on the broadcast.

As the game kicked off, audio issues plagued the broadcast booth, drawing additional complaints from fans watching at home.

“It’s amazing how Kirk Herbstreit is broadcasting the game from outer space today,” one fan wrote on X while another said, “Every time Kirk Herbstreit talks, my TV sounds like a 1994 dial-up internet connection trying to load a low-res quality of a Super Nintendo game.”

Another begged Herbstreit to “just stop talking bruh your mic is cooked.”

Every time Kirk Herbstreit talks, my TV sounds like a 1994 dial-up internet connection trying to load a low-res quality of a Super Nintendo game

— Farzin Vousoughian (@Farzin21) September 26, 2026

Play-by-play announcer Chris Fowler was even heard telling Herbstreit to “be quiet for a minute” as the audio issues persisted.

The static came as Herbstreit and Fowler were discussing how Trump’s attendance could impact communications inside of the stadium.

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian spoke earlier this week about how the president’s movements in and around the stadium impact players and coaches.

“They cut the headsets to coaches. They cut headsets for coach-to-player communication. So you have to have a plan for that, if and when it happens, and you get no warning. It just gets cut out,” Sarkisian said, per the Associated Press.

Fans were encouraged to arrive at the stadium early for Secret Service checks.