Former NBA Countdown host Michelle Beadle famously left ESPN in 2019 on shaky terms with the company. And she opened up about that experience on the Awful Announcing Podcast.
Beadle, currently at Sirius XM, notably had multiple stints with ESPN, working there in a multitude of roles from 2009-2012, and again from 2014-2019.
Her final departure from the company in 2019 came with some controversy, as Beadle famously claimed that NBA star LeBron James called for her to be removed from NBA Countdown.
She expanded on that while sitting down with AA’s Brandon Contes.
“I found out after (I was fired),” said Beadle. “In all the chaos that ensued after I left, all this other information started coming out. I kind of got wind of it as I was leaving. And then more stuff came out and I was just like, ‘What a crap show’.”
Beadle was then asked if she thought LeBron’s input ultimately had any impact on her eventually being replaced by Rachel Nichols on the show. Beadle responded by calling James a “powerful dude.”
“Yeah, you know, he’s a powerful dude. I mean, there’s no getting around that he is an empire and an entity upon himself. All the respect for building such a powerful entity on a name and doing it well. So yeah, people are going to listen.”
While Beadle acknowledges that LeBron’s input on her firing was impactful, she also detailed that he is not the only one who wanted her replaced on the show.
Beadle also seems to believe that Nichols played a role in her departure from the show, and later the company entirely.
“Yeah, I do,” said Beadle when asked directly whether she feels Nichols played a role in her departure. “I mean look, she’s ultimately not that powerful. But I think some of the narrative that was being allowed to play out specifically in the New York Post at the time. I knew where it was coming from. We all knew where it was coming from.
NBA Countdown has had a long line of hosts that dates far further back than Beadle. Beadle ultimately earned the role by replacing Sage Steele. And Beadle stated that her replacing Steele happened far differently than when Nichols replaced her.
“No, and I know that narrative was floated out there too,” Beadle said when asked whether she campaigned for Steele to be replaced. “I didn’t have to. The decisions that were made had been made. I think your work should stand on its own and there shouldn’t be a bunch of backstabbing and stuff that goes on behind it. It’s not a good way to do it.”
It all seems to be water under the bridge for Beadle at this point. But it is unfortunate that Beadle ultimately didn’t stick around on NBA Countdown. Especially because she called the gig a “dream job.”
“It feels filthy, like it feels dirty. And I loved the job. I loved doing NBA Countdown. It was a dream gig.”
The full episode of The Awful Announcing Podcast with Michelle Beadle will release Friday morning. Subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts. For more content, subscribe to AA’s YouTube page.
[Awful Announcing Podcast]
