Former WWE ring announcer Samantha Irvin was beloved by many WWE fans. A talented singer and musician who earlier this year played a rendition of Razor Ramon's theme song on the flute, Irvin's departure from WWE last month surprised many as she recently had been symbolically handed the torch by Lilian Garcia on "WWE Raw" as the new flagship voice of the company. WWE backstage reporter Jackie Redmond joined "Gabby AF" and commented on Irvin's departure.

"The thing about Sam that I think people need to realize because I know since she left there's been a lot of fodder online, is that Sam right now is following her heart," Redmond said. "I don't understand how anyone could ever hate on someone for that, like she's following what she's genuinely- her heart and soul is passionate about and that's singing, and that's music."

Redmond feels that the reason Irvin was very successful as a ring announcer was because she understands how to emote with her voice, understanding how to make her voice powerful and to use it with conviction to convey announcements. Two prime examples came at WrestleMania 40, where Irvin excitedly announced Damian Priest's Money In The Bank contract cash-in and subsequent World Heavyweight Championship win, and at the end of the show where a visibly emotional Irvin announced Cody Rhodes as the new Undisputed WWE Champion.

"She was like a safety blanket for me in the very beginning," Redmond said of Irvin helping her adopt to her new role in WWE. "I love her so much and I know she's gonna do amazing things and I'm happy that she's following her heart because that's what we all should do; none of us should do anything outside of what we actually are passionate about."