Meet stenographer Debra Bollman who went viral after Nigel Hayes comment
It's relatively easy for things to go viral nowadays. In 2015, stenographer Debra Bollman was one of the lucky individuals; she unexpectedly went viral after a flirty comment from basketball star Nigel Hayes. Debra caught Wisconsin players' attention by typing 300 words per minute for interview transcripts. Learn more about the Stenographer here.

Source: UGC
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Key takeaways
- Debra Bollman, one of the biggest stars of the 2015 NCAA tournament West regional, didn't even score a basket or cheer from the bench.
- She captured the attention of talented collegiate basketball players due to her proficiency in her work.
- Debra unexpectedly came into the limelight after a collegiate athlete commented on her beauty.
Debra Bollman's profile summary
Full name | Debra Bollman |
Gender | Female |
Date of birth | 1972 |
Age | 53 years (as of 2025) |
Place of birth | Riverside, California |
Current residence | Norco, California |
Nationality | American |
Ethnicity | White |
Religion | Christianity |
Sexuality | Straight |
Spouse | Antony Farfan |
Children | Saylor, Sophia, Simeon |
Profession | Stenographer, real estate agent |
Who is Debra Bollman?
Debra Bollman was born in 1972 in the USA and currently lives in Norco, California. Debra Bollman's age is 53 years old as of 2025. She hasn't shared any information about her birthdate, parents, siblings or education.
Bollman unexpectedly came into the limelight after a collegiate athlete commented on her breathtaking beauty, leading many to wonder who this stenographer was. So here are some important details regarding Debra Bollman.
Debra's children
She has three children: daughter Saylor, Sophia, and son Simeon. Her daughter Sophia found some humour in Debra's and Nigel's situation and commented about it on X. She wrote,
"I've been working on getting out there for years, and my mom gets called beautiful by a basketball player, and Extra is calling…like what?"
Debra Bollman's daughter, Sophia, is the lead singer of the band Detour 91. Stenographer Debra Bollman became famous on Twitter after Nigel's slip-up. And she now uses her newfound social media attention to share her daughter's incredible singing talent.
Debra Bollman’s career
In 2015, when she went viral, Debra Bollman worked as a stenographer for ASAP Sports, a transcription service based in New York. Her role was to capture everything that players and coaches said during interviews.
Debra caught the attention of Wisconsin Badgers players in the interview as she was typing over 300 words per minute for interview transcripts. Bollman is a real estate agent when she's not writing up sports news.
Debra Bollman's husband

Source: Original
Debra Bollman is married to Antony Farfan and shares three children with him. But she hasn’t shared much information about him online or on social media.
It's worth noting that before going viral in 2015, stenographer Debra lived a humble life, and remarkably, fame did not change that. Even after becoming famous, she remains grounded and has admirably kept most of her details, including her family, from the public eye.
Debra Bollman and Nigel Hayes
An NCAA basketball star made headlines in 2015, but not for his excellent ball-handling skills. Nigel Hayes, then a player for the Wisconsin Badgers, confidentially attended a televised press conference in Los Angeles with two other teammates.
But failing to realise the microphone was still on, the player whispered to his teammate, "God, she's beautiful", after sporting stenographer Debra Bollman for ASAP sports in the crowd.
The crowd broke into laughter, and that's when Nigel realised everyone had heard him, including Debra Bollman. Nigel reacted by cradling his head in embarrassment, and the interview continued.
After this, Bollman, who is from Riverside, California, was approached by different media outlets after being singled out by the talented basketball player Hayes. She went to Inside Edition and FOX studios to tape interviews.
How did Debra feel about Nigel’s comment?
When the microphone caught Nigel Hayes whispering, "God, she's beautiful", the only person who looked embarrassed as Nigel was stenographer Debra Bollman.
Nigel Hayes tweeted Bollman an apology, but she felt it was unnecessary because his statement wasn't inappropriate. She further commented that Nigel was sweet and he made her day, and she thanked him for the moment.
Debra Bollman's Instagram
The Stenographer has not publicly stated what her Instagram handle is.
Debra Bollman's images
Very few photos of the stenographer are publicly available, as she maintains a low social media presence.
In 2015, stenographer Debra Bollman made headlines after a collegiate basketball star, Nigel Hayes made a flirty comment about her. Hayes' priceless moment went viral; it made Debra an X sensation, and she was approached for interviews by media outlets, including Inside Edition and FOX studios.
Tuko.co.ke has shared an article about the most beautiful female Fox News anchors of all time. There are many female Fox News anchors today. These anchors have significantly contributed to Fox News because of their unmatched talent, hard work and beauty. So, who are the most beautiful female Fox News anchors? Check out this article for more details.
Source: TUKO.co.ke

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