NBC Sports sideline reporter Kaylee Hartung said “it’s a hard thing to say out loud” that she’s covering her first Super Bowl when the network carries the big game between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks in Santa Clara, Calif. on Sunday.
“It feels like such a cliche statement to say this is a dream come true. But it actually is,” Hartung told The Post. “It’s wild that it’s the truth. It’s a dream that I’ve had for a while and it is surreal.”
After Super Bowl 2026, Hartung will travel to Milan to cover the aerials and moguls freestyle skiing competition at the Winter Olympics.
“I’ve got to pack for a month on the road, two different climates and two different events,” Hartung said, adding that it’s a “frivolous [and] fun problem to have.”
She packed six large suitcases and a duffle bag for her assignments in Santa Clara and Milan — and texted The Post photo as proof.
“With the Olympics, it’s kind of easy [to dress],” Hartung said. “I’m working aerials and moguls events and I’ll be outside, so I’ll have to wear our NBC-issued Ralph Lauren Olympics gear.
“I’ve got my puffer coat and all of my layers that are going to go underneath it — easy enough. That really does simplify everything with the weather… For me, nothing matters more than functionality.”
Hartung, who is a national correspondent for the “Today” show and sideline reporter for Amazon Prime Video’s “Thursday Night Football,” explained that she was “stocking up on sleep” before heading to the West Coast.
“I’m trying to enjoy being in the place that I pay rent right now, because those days feel few and far between,” she said of her New York apartment.
“I moved into this apartment almost a year ago, right after the Super Bowl last year, and I still am missing pieces of furniture. That’s something for me to look forward to after the Olympics is like living here and getting more settled in my New York life.”
As for life outside of her work, Hartung doesn’t have hobbies, but she loves to travel.
“Quality time is definitely my love language,” she said. “I think my biggest priority in life is relationships and the people that I care about and trying my best, despite however busy things can get to prioritize those people and prioritize that time.
“I’m lucky to have friends who love to travel as well and I try to take advantage of those opportunities whenever we can get them.”
Hartung became a household name after covering a full spectrum of broadcasting areas — hard news, sports, entertainment and human interest. She’s worked for CNN, ESPN, ABC News and had roles on “Good Morning America,” “World News Tonight” and “Nightline.”
After graduating with a degree in journalism from Washington and Lee University, Hartung worked at CBS News as an assistant to former “CBS Evening News” anchor Bob Schieffer, whom she said encouraged her to take her talents to sports.
“So I go to CNN (in 2017) and after five years of college football, college basketball and college baseball at ESPN, and suddenly I’m covering mass shootings and natural disasters — talk about a different skill set and a way to build your way of approaching an event and your way of telling stories,” Hartung said.
“That was a tremendously challenging two-year stretch of my life, and I don’t think I’d be here in this moment if I wouldn’t have gone through that. … But I’m very proud of the body of work of my career to this point. And I just want to keep growing.”
She emphasized that she had “big dreams” as an aspiring broadcaster — and was constantly told to “pick a lane” if she wanted to work in the business
Hartung joined Amazon Prime Video’s “Thursday Night Football” as a sideline reporter in 2022, and received her first solo Sports Emmy nomination for her work in 2024.
She joined “Today” as a contributing correspondent in 2023.
“I’ve always been someone who believed that you have to enjoy the journey,” Hartung said. “At 10 years old, I decided that I wanted to be on the ‘Today’ show, and that was a that was a stated goal.
“To borrow a quote that I first heard from Nick Saban back when I was working at ESPN and he was the head coach at the University of Alabama: ‘Be where your feet are.’
“I think one of the challenges in my journey has been that it’s so many different moments. I was told, ‘you have to pick a lane.’ And I would talk about all of the different ways that I wanted to work in broadcasting and the different types of stories that I wanted to tell.
“I would be told, ‘You can’t do all of this,’ and I’m like, ‘Watch me.’”
