For several years now, Netflix’s Untold has tackled various sports-related stories from steroid scandals to catfishing situations to Johnny Manziel’s fall from grace. With its latest installment, it seeks to dive into the highs and lows of celebrated quarterback Brett Favre. While developing The Fall of Favre, director Rebecca Gitlitz spoke to a number of people, including media personality Jenn Sterger, who accused Favre of misconduct years ago. CinemaBlend spoke with Gitlitz, who shed light on how she chronicled Sterger’s story.
Jenn Sterger rose to prominence in the early 2000s after going viral for appearing at college football games in revealing clothing and cowboy hats. She eventually made her way into sports journalism, establishing herself as a much-sought-out pundit. The trajectory of her career changed in 2010, however, as Deadspin leaked a story about Brett Favre allegedly sending Sterger suggestive texts, voicemails and photos. All of that allegedly occurred during the 2008 NFL season, at which point Sterger was a New York Jets sideline reporter.
Untold: The Fall of Favre spends a considerable amount of time detailing the former Sports Illustrated writer’s link to Favre, who she says she still hasn’t actually met in person. I had the opportunity to speak with Rebecca Gitlitz about her doc, which is part of the 2025 TV schedule. During our conversation, she also talked about her discussions with Sterger. Gitlitz opened up to me about being entrusted to tell the former journalist’s story in earnest for the first time:
I think that first and foremost in my life, in my life and career, I want people to…. I do not take lightly that people hand me their deepest, darkest moments and say, you know, please do right by them. And that takes a lot of trust, and I was deeply grateful to Jen that she trusted me to be able to do this, when I'm sure hundreds, if not thousands, of people have come to Jen over the years and asked to do this.
Considering that this latest installment in the series of well-received documentaries marks Jenn Sterger’s first time truly opening up about her side of this situation, Rebecca Gitlitz was aware that she had to take a lot of care when telling this story. She went on to tell me exactly how she sought to differentiate herself from any other documentarians or pundits who might’ve approached Sterger in the past:
I think that the big difference was that I listened, right? Like, ‘What do you want out there? What hasn't been heard? Correct all the wrongs.’ We had hundreds of conversations before I ever turned on a camera. And I think that there were lots of things that surprised me, even though I thought I knew the story that I would, I would say out loud, and then I'd say, ‘I bet other people would be surprised by this also.’
Aside from the misconduct allegations, The Fall of Favre also highlights the Green Bay Packers icon’s involvement in the Mississippi welfare funds scandal. He was accused of being directly involved in a situation that involved funds meant for the state’s welfare services reportedly being diverted into the former athlete’s own pocket or causes that he had a vested interest in. The hall of famer has since denied being aware of any financial misappropriation. As for the Sterger situation, Rebecca Gitlitz also said:
I think that she and I wanted to right a lot of the wrongs of her story. And I think she did this because, in any small way, when the Mississippi story broke, I think it was a validation for Jen and the larger swath of women that are out there saying, ‘Please believe me.’ And, you know, she did. So that's why I ended the [opening] with, ‘When people tell you who they are, listen.’ Because that is the epitome of the Jen Sterger piece of this puzzle.
The seasoned documentary producer – whose credits include One & Done, Under Pressure and The Story of Diana – seemed to take immense care when telling Jenn Sterger’s story. Rebecca Gitlitz told me that she sought to create a balanced piece and, as part of that, she aimed to humanize Sterger, who says she was long viewed as simply a “picture” by the general public. Sterger’s story is available to learn about now, as Untold: The Fall of Favre is streamable with a Netflix subscription.
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