Former ESPN host Sage Steele has been openly critical of the network for taking action against her because of her political views. One of Steele’s former co-workers says she received similar treatment.
Steele filed a lawsuit against ESPN and parent company Disney in April 2022. The suit accused ESPN of taking action against Steele after she exercised her right to free speech. Steele said ESPN temporarily took her off the air in part because she criticized the network’s Covid-19 vaccine mandate.
Ashley Brewer Kaminsky, a former ESPN host who is married to pro basketball player Frank Kaminsky, says she had a similar experience with the network.
A social media post on Tuesday criticized ESPN. The post pointed out that ESPN had not renewed the contracts of certain female employees who had expressed conservative opinions, but stood by Shannon Sharpe, who is facing troubling allegations from a woman. Steele responded to the post and said there is a “long list of examples where ESPN/Disney considers having conservative viewpoints a much greater offense than questionable character.”
Brewer Kaminsky then chimed in and added an example. She claims she was once “chewed out” by her boss at ESPN because she shared a photo of a Republican congressman on her social media page.
“Never forget when I got chewed out by my boss for posting a pic of a republican (sic) congressman & UFC fighter on my instagram story at the Mcgregor (sic) fight. LOL,” Brewer Kaminsky wrote.
Never forget when I got chewed out by my boss for posting a pic of a republican congressman & UFC fighter on my instagram story at the Mcgregor fight. LOL.
— Ashley Brewer Kaminsky (@ashbrewkaminsky) April 22, 2025
Brewer Kaminsky began working at ESPN in 2020 and was laid off in June 2023.
Steele settled her lawsuit against ESPN in August 2023. She said she voluntarily left the network “so I can exercise my first amendment rights more freely.” Steele took a victory lap on her way out.
