Longtime ESPN anchor Sage Steele is leaving the network, and she took a victory lap on her way out the door.
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.
On Tuesday, Steele revealed on social media that she is parting ways with ESPN after “successfully” settling the lawsuit. The 50-year-old said she made the decision to leave the network “so I can exercise my first amendment rights more freely.”
Life update.
Having successfully settled my case with ESPN/Disney, I have decided to leave so I can exercise my first amendment rights more freely. I am grateful for so many wonderful experiences over the past 16 years and am excited for my next chapter!#SteeleStrong— Sage Steele (@sagesteele) August 15, 2023
An ESPN spokesperson confirmed the split when contacted by The Hollywood Reporter.
“ESPN and Sage Steele have mutually agreed to part ways. We thank her for her many contributions over the years,” the spokesperson said.
During a September 2021 appearance on the “Uncut with Jay Cutler” podcast, Steele ripped ESPN over its COVID-19 vaccine mandate. She later tested positive for COVID and was temporarily taken off the air. The belief was that her hiatus had just as much to do with her comments about ESPN’s vaccine mandate as it did with her contracting the virus.
Steele also faced backlash for comments she made on the same podcast about former president Barack Obama. She said she finds it “fascinating” that Obama identifies as black on his US census form “considering his black dad was nowhere to be found.”
Steele later issued an apology. Her lawsuit stated that the apology was forced by ESPN executives. The suit also claimed ESPN retaliated against Steele by “taking away prime assignments and failing to stop bullying and harassment by Ms. Steele’s colleagues.”
The terms of the lawsuit were not disclosed, but it is noteworthy that Steele said she “successfully” settled it and threw a parting shot at ESPN by saying she is leaving so she can exercise her right to free speech. She clearly feels she was victorious.
