LI's Dylan, Daughter Adam Schefter, Co-Hosts Nickelodeon's 'NFL Slimetime' Show

NORTH SHORE, NY — When Dylan Schefter, attended the EPSYs —the "Excellence in Sports Performance" yearly awards show — in 2017, she didn’t think of it as more than a fun experience.

Dylan’s father, ESPN sports writer Adam Schefter, was asked by a colleague if she wanted to interview athletes on the red carpet.

“I, of course, wanted to do it because it was something new, being 7 or 8 years old,” Dylan said.

That night, she went on to interview Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, as well as former New England and current Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady, and even got Belichick to smile and laugh on camera.

The Patriots were so impressed with Dylan, they offered her another interview opportunity.

“I started to love it more and more every time because I just learned so much every single time I did it,” she said.

Since then, Dylan’s passion for sports broadcast has blossomed into a part-time career: She's returned to the 2018 ESPYs to interview players including Steph Curry and Odell Beckham Jr., worked as a correspondent for the New York Jets in 2019, and had her own weekly segment, “Dylan’s Sweet Corner” on Fox Sports in 2020.

Today, she's a teen correspondent on Nickelodeon’s “Nick-ified Slimelights; the “Best Play Ever,” showcasing the standout plays of the week.

Now in its second season, the show also features hosts young Dylan, and CBS Sports analyst and former NFL standout Nate Burleson.

“I'm honestly just doing it because it's so fun,” she said. “Everyone's just so supportive and so kind, and it just pushes me over — and it makes me want to do everything.”

The half-hour series will regularly air on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon. It will run through the current footfall season, through Feb. 15, 2023.

In each episode, the cast spotlights the “Best Play Ever,” showcasing the standout play of the week, NVP (Nickelodeon’s “Most Valuable Player”) trophy winner, celebrity guest game picks, youth football spotlights, and more.

In this role, Dylan said she gets to do what she does best, and bring her energetic personality to the table.

Her favorite aspect of the show, she told Patch, was interviewing athletes not just about their sport, but getting to know them on a personal level.

“One of the most valuable things that I have learned is to make the players comfortable,” she said. “They are celebrities and big athletes, but they're normal people.”

The teen recalled one of her most memorable interviews, with Evan McPherson, placekicker for the Cincinnati Bengals. She noticed he seemed “tired” or was maybe “having a bad day”, and shaped her questions accordingly.

“I asked him, ‘What did you do today?’,” she said. “He started talking about he went to Panera, and then we start talking about their mac and cheese.”

Later on, in a playoff interview, McPherson remembered Dylan.

“They just call out your name, you don't actually see the person who's interviewing you,” she said. “They said ‘Dylan Schefter’ and he immediately smiled. He remembered me.”

Dylan said that, in turn, the support of her family has made her feel comfortable being a kid while also being a correspondent.

Every Monday afternoon when she returns from school, Dylan’s mom, Sharri Schefter, helps her film segments in their Long Island home on the North Shore.

When she first started on the show, the two set everything themselves, due to COVID regulations.

Now, she has a team that comes to her house, to help with lighting, makeup, and sound. Sometimes, her dad will call her beforehand to help prepare for an interview.

“It's just lighting, a good camera, and a tablet,” said Dylan. “ I honestly love it because it's really similar to how my dad does everything. So I kind of have been used to seeing the at-home work experience for a lot of my life.”

Dylan told Patch she prefers working at home, not only because she can balance going to school, but spend time with family and friends.

“It's a lot more fun, because I have my mom on the side, and she's making all these facial expressions, recording me and sending it to our family group chat,” she said.

Sharri told Patch she’s grateful to work with Dylan and see her grow.

“It's very exciting for me to see my daughter, my little girl, blossoming into this, very confident person,” she said. “I say to her all the time, 'I could never do what you do.'”

Dylan said she intends to pursue sports broadcasting as a full-time career in the future. Similar to her dad and brother, she hopes to attend the University of Michigan.

Adam and Dylan Schefter have already worked together, such as during her first interview on NFL live and several commercials.

“I think doing something with him is so fun,” she said. “It's kind of like a copy and paste because we have the same energy.”

Episodes of NFL Slimetime can be viewed live on Nickelodeon, or on Paramount +.