ESPN is trying to navigate amid uncertain circumstances caused by the coronavirus pandemic, and the company announced on Thursday that it is laying off hundreds of employees.
In an internal memo obtained by Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports, ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro announced that 300 employees have been laid off. ESPN is also eliminating 200 job positions that were previously open, resulting in a reduced workforce of 500. That reduction is the largest in company history.
Here’s the full memo:
Here's the internal memo that ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro sent to employees about today's layoffs: pic.twitter.com/y5rccQG25g
— Michael McCarthy (@MMcCarthyREV) November 5, 2020
The layoffs are all impacting behind-the-scenes staffers, according to McCarthy.
There was also a chance ESPN was going to ask some of its top talent to take pay cuts, though it’s unclear if that has happened. The network lost another one of its top on-air personalities last month, as Keith Olbermann announced he was let out of his contract to launch a political show on YouTube.
