ESPN’s Bomani Jones signed off his latest episode of The Right Time podcast with a somewhat cryptic goodbye that will last at least through the end of July, but seems like it may be a lot longer.
Before giving his standard “rate us, review us, give us five stars” signoff, Jones warned the audience of his upcoming absence, informing them that they won’t be getting another episode of The Right Time in a few days, as they might typically expect. There isn’t likely to be another episode this month, and Jones couldn’t say when The Right Time would return.
“I am taking a break,” Jones said to close out the episode. “I don’t know how long that break is going to be. That break will probably be until the end of July, at the earliest. I’ve been going kinda hard the last couple years, stacked up my vacation time so I’ve got these two weeks. After that, we’re gonna see how it rolls, what I decide to do, whatever it is.”
According to Barrett Sports Media, Jones’ contract with ESPN is set to expire while using his vacation time to close out the month. During the podcast, Jones didn’t discuss his contract status, but he did reflect on the last couple of years while offering the audience a sincere ‘thank you’ for listening. Maybe Jones was just feeling super appreciative, but it sounded like a farewell.
“But, before the break starts, I find it very important to let everyone know this,” Jones continued. “We have had a monstrous two years in change here at The Right Time. When the world shut down and the podcast market contracted, somehow, we grew and then we grew some more and then we grew some more and then we kept growing.
“And it’s really a byproduct of you guys telling your friends about this and luckily, all the people that are cool with me helping to create a vibe that you guys like and want to hand out with and want to be a part of. So, for this pandemic portion of time, which for us, has been some of the most successful, and for me has been some of the most gratifying stuff that I have ever done, I just wanted to tell you guys thank you.”
Jones signed his latest deal with ESPN just over two years ago, shortly after the network pulled the plug on his debate show with Pablo Torre, High Noon. Last year, Andrew Marchand of the New York Post reported Jones’ contract with ESPN was supposed to expire this past March and he wasn’t expected to sign a new deal. March came and went, with Jones still creating content for ESPN, although his platform with the company had been mostly reduced to his podcast.
Without ESPN, Jones still has his HBO show Game Theory, which was recently picked up for a second season. And if he doesn’t sign a new deal at The Worldwide Leader, Jones will certainly have other suitors, with Meadowlark Media seeming like the most logical fit considering his relationship with Dan Le Batard and John Skipper.
