Joe Buck, the ESPN broadcaster, after calling the Seattle Seahawks‘ victory over the San Francisco 49ers, revealed that he had been sporting a black eye from breaking up a fight between his 7-year-old twins.
7-year-old twins. Bro, were they brawling like a WWE lumberjack match? Are they training for MMA? What is going on over in the Buck household?
The injury, caused by a knee to the eye just 48 hours before the game, was expertly concealed by ESPN makeup artist Kathleen Vybihal to avoid detection by high-definition cameras. Buck shared before-and-after photos on social media, praising Vybihal as a “hero” for her work.
“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,” Buck posted on X Saturday night. “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
Joe Buck’s Black Eye
Look, we’ve all been there before. We’re roughhousing with the kids, or our nieces and nephews, and out of nowhere we get walloped by an unexpected flailing hand or foot.
What most people don’t end up with, however, is a shiner like the one Buck was sporting. Kudos to him for carrying on. The incident did not affect his performance alongside Troy Aikman in what was a significant NFC West-deciding matchup.
And kudos to the makeup artist. She did a great job with the cover-up, though you can still see the swelling in poor Joe Buck’s left eye.
The after … pic.twitter.com/2nhSYMBDSM
— Joe Buck (@Buck) January 4, 2026
The Seahawks defense dominated the contest against the 49ers as they charged to a 13-3 victory at Levi’s Stadium, capturing their first NFC West title since 2020.
READ MORE: Jordon Hudson Stands Strong Amid Criticism in New Year Message
Long an Object of Derision
For years, Joe Buck has been the voice behind some of the most memorable moments in sports, from World Series games to Super Bowls.
However, this high-profile position also made him a target for criticism, which intensified with the advent of social media. Countless memes each year popped up about fans buying expensive playoff tickets just so they could avoid hearing Buck’s voice.
And while he found the whole shtick rather annoying, he also takes it to heart. Though he suggests others in his field ignore the comments on social media, Joe admits he didn’t always heed his own advice. Mainly because he was the leading man during the rise of internet trolls.
“Forever, I was the only guy doing national baseball during the social media era, and I’ve taken my lumps. And it wore me out,” Buck said in an interview on the Michael Kay Show. “I could sit here and go, ‘Oh, that stuff didn’t bother me.’ It bothered me.”
“If you’re a human being who cares about what other people think and do, and you try to be a good person and you try to do a good job, and then you read how much you suck or ‘You’re lucky you had a famous dad’ and ‘You hate my team’ and all that other stuff,” he lamented.
Kylie Kelce, on her husband Jason Kelce’s late-night flop They Call It Late Night, discussed the reasons behind Philadelphia fans’ dislike for sportscaster Joe Buck.
“I was raised in a house where I was taught to dislike Joe Buck,” she said.
“I was taught that by my father,” Kylie continued. “I very much recognized the pattern in which it always seemed as though [Buck] was cheering for the other team.”
When the former Eagles center asked if she had any specific examples of Buck being biased, she replied, “Of course not.”
Buck is the son of legendary sportscaster Jack Buck.