Another round of layoffs hit ESPN on Tuesday as the company said goodbye to both new and old voices alike, marking yet one more stark reminder of the challenges facing modern media.
ESPN’s summer layoffs have regrettably become almost an annual tradition in recent years as the company seeks to balance its books through the streaming revolution. Facing rising rights fees and the cost of superstar talent with the collapse of the cable bundle, ESPN finds itself in a difficult position even though it has an impenetrable position at the top of the sports world.
In past years, ESPN laid off the likes of Jeff Van Gundy, Mark Jackson, Robert Griffin III, and Sam Ponder among many others.
This year, the layoffs have hit a number of key on-air personalities. In a memo to company employees, ESPN President Jimmy Pitaro cited an examination of the network’s overall business model after the equity deal with the NFL. In exchange for a long-sought ownership stake where the NFL now owns 10% of ESPN, the network has taken over NFL Network and other media assets of the league. With round-the-clock NFL coverage of their own, that was naturally going to lead to what Pitaro called “difficult decisions.” However, layoffs were not limited to NFL Network as other longtime employees were let go throughout the company, including many who have served the network for decades.
Here is the list of ESPN employees known or reported to be part of the 2026 layoffs. Outkick, The Athletic, and Front Office Sports have all been on the story thus far, reporting the individuals affected.
Ryan Clark was arguably the biggest name to be laid off from ESPN, with the news of his departure actually breaking while he was on the air at NFL Live on Monday.
Karl Ravech was let go after 33 years with ESPN, joining the network in 1993. He had just called Dodgers-Phillies on Monday night and was the longtime host of Baseball Tonight and most recently the voice of Sunday Night Baseball.
David Lloyd, one of the longest-tenured SportsCenter anchors, is departing ESPN. He first came to Bristol in 1997 as an ESPNEWS anchor. Stephania Bell had been with the network since 2008 as a pioneer in the role of injury expert.
One of the most surprising cuts is First Take star Cam Newton, who was just signed to a new multi-year contract in the summer of 2025.
NFL Network has seen the departures of longtime analyst Charles Davis and reporter Tom Pelissero.
Bart Scott served ESPN as both a radio host in New York City and NFL studio analyst appearing on the network’s daytime morning shows.
Andreas Hale, who covered boxing, MMA and professional wrestling for ESPN, was also among those laid off as part of Tuesday’s cuts.
Dan Hajducky announced on his social media page that his time at ESPN had come to an end after 10 years as a staff writer for ESPN.com
As other names are reported and revealed, this post will continue to be updated.
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