Joe Buck called Seattle’s 13-3 win over San Francisco on Saturday night while dealing with a black eye courtesy of his 7-year-old twins — though viewers at home never would’ve known it.
That was thanks to ESPN makeup artist Kathleen Vybihal, whose work Buck spotlighted on social media after the game. He shared a series of photos documenting the entire process. The first photo showed the black eye itself, with significant discoloration around his left eye after taking a knee to the face, breaking up a fight between his twins 48 hours before kickoff. The second showed Vybihal in the process of applying makeup to cover the damage. The third showed Buck looking completely normal and ready for the broadcast.
“Not all heroes wear capes, but some bring them to work,” Buck wrote on X. “Our makeup artiste, the great Kathleen Vybihal hid this from high def cameras tonight. Nothing like a knee to the eye while breaking up a fight between 7 year old twins 48 hours before a big game!!! He got me!!”
Not all heroes wear capes, but some bring them to work. Our makeup artiste, the great Kathleen Vybihal hid this from high def cameras tonight. Nothing like a knee to the eye while breaking up a fight between 7 year old twins 48 hours before a big game!!! He got me!! pic.twitter.com/mCJMSzosiL
— Joe Buck (@Buck) January 4, 2026
The during … pic.twitter.com/C5A45tCWUv
— Joe Buck (@Buck) January 4, 2026
The after … pic.twitter.com/2nhSYMBDSM
— Joe Buck (@Buck) January 4, 2026
The fact that millions of people watched the broadcast without noticing anything was wrong speaks to Vybihal’s skill at her job. Buck has been calling games for ESPN since 2022 alongside Troy Aikman, working a full schedule that includes Monday Night Football and pseudo-playoff games like Saturday’s.
Getting injured by your own kids isn’t exactly a typical broadcasting obstacle, but Buck treated it like any other part of the job. He showed up, let the makeup team do their work, and called the game without anyone at home being any wiser about what was hiding under all that concealer.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.