SC6 host Jemele Hill is often cited as an example of ESPN’s perceived left-wing political bias, and the company has now distanced themselves from controversial tweets she sent about President Donald Trump Monday. In a long thread replying to other Twitter users, Hill called Trump “a white supremacist who has largely surrounded himself w/ other white supremacists,” said he was “an unfit, bigoted, incompetent moron,” and stated he “is the most ignorant, offensive president of my lifetime. His rise is a direct result of white supremacy. Period.”
That sparked right-wing media backlash, particularly from The Daily Caller, and ESPN has now issued a statement saying Hill’s comments don’t reflect the company’s position, and that they’ve addressed the “inappropriate” tweets with her:
ESPN Statement on Jemele Hill: pic.twitter.com/3kfexjx9zQ
— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) September 12, 2017
Here are the tweets in question from Hill:
Donald Trump is a white supremacist who has largely surrounded himself w/ other white supremacists.
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) September 11, 2017
https://twitter.com/jemelehill/status/907392229290934272
Trump is the most ignorant, offensive president of my lifetime. His rise is a direct result of white supremacy. Period.
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) September 11, 2017
He has surrounded himself with white supremacists — no they are not "alt right" — and you want me to believe he isn't a white supremacist?
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) September 11, 2017
No the media doesn't make it a threat. It IS a threat. He has empowered white supremacists (see: Charlottesville).
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) September 12, 2017
How is it a "false narrative?" Did he hire and court white supremacists? Answer: YES
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) September 12, 2017
You just don't want to believe it because it's too unpleasant. But that doesn't change the facts.
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) September 12, 2017
He is unqualified and unfit to be president. He is not a leader. And if he were not white, he never would have been elected
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) September 12, 2017
Donald Trump is a bigot. Glad you could live with voting for him. I couldn't, because I cared about more than just myself
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) September 12, 2017
I hate a lot of things but not enough to jeopardize my fellow citizens with an unfit, bigoted, incompetent moron. But hey, that's just me.
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) September 12, 2017
And it's funny how you cling to Benghazi but I bet you didn't give one thought to what Trump said about the Central Park 5
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) September 12, 2017
You yell about Benghazi but I bet you didn't care at all about him having to settle the largest racial housing discrimination case in NYC
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) September 12, 2017
Hill’s only tweets so far Tuesday are one praising Monday Night Football sideline reporter Sergio Dipp and one responding to something saying she shouldn’t mix politics with her job:
Do you know the difference between twitter & tv?
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) September 12, 2017
Well, it appears ESPN has decided that these tweets do have a connection to her job and to the company. (On the other side of the spectrum, though, it’s notable that Hank Williams Jr. returned to Monday Night Football this week, six years after he was dropped for referencing Hitler when discussing President Obama. He did later apologize for that.) We’ll see if there are further comments from Hill on Twitter or on SC6.
As ESPN tries to fight the perception of being a left leaning organization, incidents like these certainly don’t help and ultimately furthers that narrative whether it’s one you agree with or not.
[ESPN PR on Twitter]
About Andrew Bucholtz
Andrew Bucholtz has been covering sports media for Awful Announcing since 2012. He is also a staff writer for The Comeback. His previous work includes time at Yahoo! Sports Canada and Black Press.