Ingrid Andress says she felt like ‘America’s punching bag’ after botched national anthem

Ingrid Andress is opening up about her life in the aftermath of her botched national anthem. In an interview with Rolling Stone published Wednesday, the country singer confessed she felt like “America’s punching bag” after she infamously performed the Star-Spangled Banner while drunk.

Country singer Ingrid Andress reflects on botched national anthem and how it changed her life

Andress discussed the “worst moment” of her life and how it changed her life for the better in her first interview since leaving a rehab facility. “I am sorry you had to witness that horrific rendition of our nation’s anthem,” she said during Thursday episode.

“Whoever that was is not an accurate representation of who I am at all. You got to see me in my worst moment, so now, everything from here will be great.”

After her rendition of the American national anthem went viral, Andress faced severe backlash. Though she released a statement admitting she was “drunk” while singing at the 2024 Major League Baseball’s Home Run Derby, she continued to face criticism.

Recalling the outrage over her “botched” performance, Andress said, “I felt like America’s punching bag. I became a way to unite America. It was like, ‘At least we can all agree that this girl botched the anthem.’”

“I’ll be the punching bag for sure, but I didn’t commit a crime. It felt very extreme for what the situation was.”

Andress further told the outlet that up until the controversial performance, she had never let alcohol disrupt her singing. She admitted that while she “liked the numbness” that came with alcohol, she was “blacked out” during the national anthem.

Due to her being intoxicated, Andress missed the cue to start singing on her in-ear monitor. “If you don’t start on the note that it gives you, you’re screwed. It was my voice fighting with the tuner, which is a losing battle,” she said.

The Wishful Drinking singer recalled telling a friend over the phone that she thought the performance went “okay.” But that was not the case. “I needed to let people know that it’s not just this one incident that I messed up. ‘I need to get better. I’m at such a low place, I’m not gonna lie about it,’” she explained.

However, following her rehab stay, Andress found herself “again” after spending six months living off the grid in Colorado. “I feel like I’ve gotten to know myself again, which is probably the biggest gift of all of it,” she said.

“I learned to not ever let your past dictate what you can do in the future. Sometimes it takes a little public humiliation to turn your life around.”