As a child, Charissa Thompson’s favourite player was the two-sport athlete Deion Sanders.
Today, Thompson juggles many prime-time television and business possibilities for herself.
Tonight, she will resume her debut season as the host of “TNF Tonight” on Amazon Prime Video before “Thursday Night Football.”
She has presented the Sunday NFL pregame show “Fox NFL Kickoff” on Fox Sports since 2013.
Thompson also co-hosts the podcast “Calm Down with Erin and Charissa” with her colleague and friend at Fox, Erin Andrews. She is the owner and operator of her own interior design company. She once co-hosted the entertainment program “Extra.”
Thompson is having a wonderful time managing both.
“Even when balancing sports and entertainment, and going in both of those spaces simultaneously, I kept thinking, ‘How cool is this? I get to do a pregame show, then change into a ball gown and cover the Emmys on a red carpet?'” Thompson told Front Office Sports.
“Deion Sanders was my favourite player growing up. I loved the idea of playing in a football game and then a World Series game. It’s opportunities – and I will take them all.”
Thompson has thrived in her first season as the host of Amazon’s pregame, halftime, and postgame shows, along with analysts Tony Gonzalez, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Richard Sherman, and Andrew Whitworth, feature reporter Taylor Rooks, and news anchor Michael Smith.
Thompson rotates between host, quarterback, and point guard on “TNF Tonight.”
According to her, to be successful, you need to be selfless.
She had to balance the screen time of three seasoned television actors (Gonzalez, Rooks, and Smith) with three potential television newcomers (Sherman, Fitzpatrick, and Whitworth).
A successful studio presenter must be selfless, making their colleagues appear intelligent while keeping the audience informed and the program on schedule.
“A leadership role in making the guys feel comfortable and being a safety net and always having their backs. She’s put them at ease. It allowed them to be authentic on air. Because they didn’t have to carry the show, that’s really where she’s stepped in. She’s just been a fantastic teammate from the jump.”
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