Emmanuel Acho was one of the few breakthrough talents to develop over the course of FS1’s history, but he was unceremoniously sent packing this summer along with most of the network’s talent.
After a brief stint at ESPN upon retirement from the NFL, Acho replaced Jason Whitlock on FS1’s studio show Speak For Yourself. Acho became the face of that show until last fall, when he became the anchor of The Facility, a new morning show hosted entirely by retired NFL athletes.
The Facility was canceled this summer, along with two other FS1 shows. And despite the goodwill he built up at FS1, Acho wasn’t surprised at all.
“I got cut five times by the age of 25. I know how to see around a corner. There came a point in time where I’m like, hey, we launched a new show at a new timeslot with a new cast and a new name. And mind you, our timeslot’s going up against First Take,” Acho explained in an appearance this week on the 4th and 1 podcast with Cam Newton.
“That’s the ’98 Bulls against an expansion team. What you think is going to happen if you’ve only got nine, 10, 11 months? I wasn’t taking down Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen!”
Simply put, Acho knew The Facility was not performing well enough. Part of working at FS1 is being ready for change. The network’s lineup has seen more shakeups than nearly anything on television.
Launching Speakeasy was still a crazy sprint for Acho and cohost LeSean McCoy, who followed him from Speak to The Facility and now to the independent venture. Acho admitted going solo and trying to build an audience on his own is “scary.”
“I’m very confident in myself … but it’s scary,” Acho said. “What if this don’t work? What if people don’t watch? Man, I’m hemorrhaging a lot of money. How am I going to sign all these people to make sure that I’ve got a studio in place? I’ve got to build out a studio, I’ve got to design a studio, I’ve got to design a logo. I’ve got to get people to work with me and people to work for me. Scary is the pervasive emotion, but I am not letting that fear hinder me.”
Throughout his conversation with Newton, Acho repeatedly referred to Speakeasy as a “sophisticated” alternative to TV postgame shows. This is how Acho fancies himself, and a comeback story jives well with his on-air persona.
With the stylings of a motivational speaker, Acho is used to turning tribulation into a story. Most of the time, Acho is spinning athletes’ adversity into this kind of take. Now, he is the one practicing what he preaches.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.