Jennifer Love Hewitt Apologizes for Looking ‘Wrecked’ in Red Carpet Appearance

Jennifer Love Hewitt is her harshest critic. The 39-year-old actress returned to the red carpet Monday at the Fox Upfront presentation to promote her recent casting in Ryan Murphy’s 9-1-1. Though she gushed over Murphy, the show and her character, after seeing photos from the event she apologized for coming off as though she was “melting.”

“It has been a really intense couple of days. Like, so great, so blessed — but intense,” the ’90s icon said in her Instagram Stories Tuesday afternoon. “We go to the Upfront yesterday and nobody tells me the day is going to be like 12 hours long and the humidity is going to be almost 100 percent in New York City. So, I just have to apologize. Wearing a black suit? Not a good idea. Not wearing enough hairspray and teasing in my hair? Also a bad idea.”

“I just have to apologize for how wrecked I look in all the pictures that have come out. I was literally melting. By the time I got to the red carpet, I was honestly melting,” she said. “My hair was flat, my makeup was running off my face and I looked like I had completely forgotten I was an actress in this business who is supposed to look [perfect] when you step on the red carpet.”

“That is not what I’m going to look like on the show. I’m going to have makeup on my face. I’m not going to be sweating. I’m not going to be overwhelmed by being in front of a red carpet and crews again. Honestly, I apologize,” she said with a laugh. “I should’ve really gotten it together!”

Hewitt hadn’t slept “all night,” thanks to her two toddlers. “It was our first time traveling with them,” she explained. “Traveling with toddlers…wow. I had no idea. I mean, I waited this long because I knew that it was going to be hard. First of all, let me say: My kids were ballers. Amazing! They did a great job.” Hewitt said she suffers from anxiety and is afraid to fly, so she relied on Brian Hallisay’s help. “My husband is a saint,” she said. “He really held it all together.”

Despite how she felt about her appearance, Hewitt told her Instagram followers, “I had an amazing time in New York, I had an amazing time with my family, but I’m happy to be home!”

Hewitt was on hand at the Fox Upfronts to promote 9-1-1, the first series she’ll be shooting since Criminal Minds and becoming a mom. She admitted that it’s “going to be a whole new learning thing” but that she’s “really grateful for the opportunity.”

She told fans that she’s hitting the gym in preparation for her return to TV.

“I’m going to be killing my boxing workouts again, getting in great shape mentally, physically and emotionally for all that’s ahead when we start the season. I’m just feeling really grateful, so I hope you’re excited. I’m excited,” she said on Instagram. “And I’m really sorry for looking like a hot mess on the red carpet yesterday. Oh, my God! I was so hot! I was like literally melting. Like, melting. Melting! But…I had a blast!”

Hewitt will replace the departed Connie Britton on 9-1-1 and will star as Maddie, the sister of firefighter Evan “Buck” Buckley (Oliver Stark). Maddie is hoping to start a new life as the new 911 dispatcher.

“She kind of has a dark, sordid situation that she is bringing with her, as they all do on 9-1-1 and I think is going to find hopefully safety in dealing with other people’s emergencies and not maybe dealing with her own for a little while,” Hewitt told E! News of her character, who she also added is “still in the works.”

9-1-1 was a surprise hit for Fox after its midseason debut in January. The show averaged 14.9 million total viewers across different platforms and was among the top three new shows for the network. Thanks to its early success, the show was picked up for a second season less than a week after its premiere.

Britton initially signed on to play the show’s first 911 operator for just one season, but the door is open for her to return in a guest role, reports The Hollywood Reporter. There are no plans in place for a return though, since the Nashville alum is already working on Bravo’s scripted anthology series Dirty John.

Fox said Monday during its call with reporters that 9-1-1 will move from Wednesday to Monday nights. It will get extra exposure with a post-NFL football debut on Sunday, Sept. 23.