Pat McAfee is the enigmatic host of The Pat McAfee Show, in which he discusses sport and interviews some of the biggest American sports stars. McAfee was a seventh-round pick for the Indianapolis Colts during the 2009 NFL Draft. Pat made the Pro Bowl two times before retiring from top-level football in 2017.
McAfee became a football analyst soon after retirement. A couple of years later, he joined the WWE, and in April 2021, he moved to SmackDown as a commentator for Friday Night SmackDown.
Pat McAfee’s wife, Samantha Ludy McAfee, has supported Pat through his career change and is a constant source of encouragement for Pat.
Pat and Samantha got engaged in February 2019 and wed in August 2020
Pat spared no expense when proposing to Samantha. The pair took a helicopter ride to a hillside, where they had a picnic. Pat then picked a spot overlooked by a waterfall and proposed to Samantha.
“I finally asked @Sami_lynn24 if she’d spend forever with me,” Pat tweeted alongside photos of the proposal. “She said yes, we both smiled, laughed, and cried a bit in front of a waterfall and then ate sandwiches in front of the bird that flew us there. Yesterday was awesome. I’m the luckiest dude on this here planet.”
“I’ll never finish falling in love with you,” Samantha wrote. Throughout 2019 and 2020, Samantha shared her excitement about her upcoming nuptials. The big day arrived in August 2020.
“My lady & I said ‘Yup’ to forever together in front of a great group of humans,” Pat wrote on Twitter. Pat referred to Samantha as an ‘absolute rocketship’ and described himself as ‘the luckiest man to ever grace this here planet.’
Judging by the number of wedding photos Samantha has posted, it must have been quite a memorable occasion for the couple and their loved ones.
“One year of marriage down and a lifetime to go,” Samantha wrote on the pair’s anniversary. “Thank you for being my rock, my best friend, my forever roommate and the love of my life @patmcafeeshow. Happy Anniversary! I love you more.”
Samantha suffered two miscarriages, but she’s committed to being a mother
In late November 2021, Samantha shared that she’d suffered two unfortunate miscarriages. She talked about her first miscarriage in 2020, resulting from an ectopic pregnancy. Complications from the pregnancy forced doctors to remove her right fallopian tube.
In 2021, Samantha thought she’d suffered a ‘normal’ miscarriage, but tests didn’t support that conclusion. “I was pregnant still but they couldn’t find where the baby attached,” Samantha wrote.
They planned to dissolve the pregnancy if the tests continued showing confusing results. Before that could happen, however, Samantha suffered a complication. She wrote:
“Saturday morning I woke up in extreme pain so Patrick took me to the ER. They found that I had internal bleeding again due to the pregnancy being in my tube and it had burst. I needed emergency surgery to remove by remaining tube.”
Pat and Samantha can’t conceive independently, but there’s hope in science. “It’s awesome to know science has other ways to get pregnant, we will be diving into the world of IVF when we are ready,” Samantha wrote.
Samantha posted her story to offer hope to other people experiencing fertility issues. “You are not alone, you have an army behind you, not only your friends and family but all of us hopeful parents to be,” she wrote.
Ludy believes that she and Pat will be the best parents when they find a way to conceive. Pat replied via tweet, expressing his love for Samantha and praising her for showing strength. He tweeted:
“I love you. I’m thankful for you… and I’m incredibly proud of you. You’re gonna be the BEST mom of ALLL time. I can’t wait for it. The toughness you’ve shown over the last few days with this surprise surgery & recovery is nothing short of admirable… You’re a badass. I love you.”
Samantha is the founder of the animal nonprofit Fur The Brand
Samantha McAfee is an alumna of the University of Indiana. She loves animals and started working in pet stores when she was young. Samantha once worked at a bar but quit to volunteer at animal shelters. She writes on Fur The Brand’s website:
“I moved back to Indianapolis, worked downtown in the bar industry. I went to grooming school, became dog/cat CPR certified and got my grooming license. I have volunteered at local animal shelters throughout the years and have always been an advocate to help animals in need.”
Ludy owns two dogs, two frogs, and four cats.
The idea to start Fur The Brand sparked after Samantha’s pit bull got cancer. The cost of surgery and the emotional stress of having a sick pet affected Samantha. She started Fur The Brand to help dogs with cancer and their owners. Samantha writes:
“This gave me an idea, to build a foundation that helps relieve the financial burdens of dog cancer treatments while assisting in helping the health of the dog. A win-win: we are able to help the fur baby and the person.”
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