This feels like it happened years ago, but it was just this past September when the White House went on a rampage to try to force a business to fire an African-American woman because she properly identified Donald Trump as a white supremacist. ESPN journalist Jemele Hill tweeted – in a conversation with some of her followers – that Trump is a white supremacist. She didn’t say “IMO” or form it as a question. She just said it, flat-out, because it’s true. And for that, ESPN freaked the f–k out, temporarily suspended her and the White House tried to get her fired. ESPN completely mishandled it, just as they mishandled everything one month later when they suspended her again for being critical of the NFL and tweeting about an NFL boycott. After all of that bullsh-t, apparently Jemele has decided to leave ESPN’s SportsCenter.
Jemele Hill is exiting the 6 p.m. hour of SportsCenter, The Hollywood Reporter had learned. The move comes in the wake of Hill’s controversial Tweets about President Trump and the National Anthem protests sweeping the NFL. Sources tell THR that Hill’s last day on SC6 will be Friday, Feb. 2, two days before the Super Bowl. Michael Smith will host the program on his own, as he did when Hill was suspended last October for her NFL tweets.
Hill will remain at ESPN, where she is one year into a lucrative four-year deal. She’ll write for the ESPN vertical, The Undefeated, and also host town halls. Hill revealed recently that she has started a production company with friend and ESPN colleague Kelly Carter.
Hill’s tweet last September calling Donald Trump a “white supremacist” caused an uproar on Twitter, a rebuke from the White House (press secretary Sarah Sanders suggested she should be fired) and made her a hero of the anti-Trump left. She was reprimanded by then ESPN-president John Skipper. But she was ultimately suspended for a tweet about Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, in which she encourage her followers to boycott the team if they disagreed with Jones, who told his players they would be benched if they didn’t stand for the National Anthem.
ESPN, of course, has a $15.2 billion deal with the league to broadcast Monday Night Football.
That’s interesting that she’s only one year into a four-year contract. It would be great – well, it would be nice – if ESPN corporate understood that Jemele is a great sports journalist and commentator and that she could and should have her own stand-alone show on the network. I doubt that will happen, but just hear me out: why not give an evening slot in the style of a magazine program, where she could do longer-form interviews and more in-depth reporting on the confluence of sports, politics, race, gender, abuse and more? Of course they won’t do that though. They’ll pay her to NOT be seen rather than give her a better platform. And yes, I do think this is all related to ESPN bungling everything with Jemele last year. It sucks. Even if this was her call, it sucks, because you know the past six months have been beating her down.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
That’s a great idea for her, Kaiser. I’d watch that show!
I hope to GAWD that she leaves ESPN as a whole…and move to “HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumble” where here talent will be appreciated and is GREATLY NEEDED and she can do what she’s does BEST!
Yes, she’d be a GREAT fit on that show if she’s got reporting chops as well. I don’t know her background before she was hosting various shows on ESPN. I really like her and I hope she finds a great outlet for her talent.
It’s a great thing that she’s leaving! ESPN put employees through two horrendous layoff cycles in 2017. No doubt she’ll have a better work environment at her next gig.
If she was pushed out, I can’t imagine Michael not fighting tooth and nail to get her to stay. They truly love and support each other. This seems like a lateral move and her decision..
There are plenty of analysts that work for ESPN that don’t get themselves in hot water being provocative and intentionally create controversy on social media. When you work for a company as big as ESPN, there come certain responsibilities… ever occur to anyone she just wasn’t a good fit for ESPN? Instead of bashing the company, walk away from the money and see what you’re worth in another market.
That’s nonsense. Love you for blaming Jemele Hill for having opinions.
This is how they get whenever somebody criticizes their king. “Stop being so divisive!1!”
ESPN has been hemorrhaging viewers, and she certainly hasn’t helped. As far as “hey, let’s give her her own show where she can talk about social justice issues and whatnot” goes, that idea sounds like a ratings black hole. ESPN is trying to GAIN viewers, not scare more of them off.
Yes it’s totally her fault for ESPN losing viewers. I only watch when she and Michael are on the screen.