Josh Innes has been suspended for a feud with former co-worker Adam Clanton. Clanton has been let go.
By Sean Keeley on

Sports talk fans in Philadelphia might remember host Josh Innes as the guy who Philadelphia Magazine wondered was ruining local sports radio (which is really something, all things considered) back in 2015. Or they might remember him as the guy who got suspended for inferring that Eagles center Jason Kelce was a “house negro” in a poorly thought-out comparison to the film Malcolm X. They might also remember him as the guy who eventually got fired for one too many racist comments and bits.

As Dan Levy noted at Billy Penn when Innes was fired, plenty of people at Innes’ own station probably weren’t too upset about seeing him go:

…A now former co-worker of Innes sent Billy Penn this note after learning the afternoon drive suddenly has a vacancy: “As someone said to me once, you can be an asshole to listeners. You can be an asshole to management. You can be an asshole to other hosts. You can be an asshole to sales.

“You can’t be an asshole to everyone.”

At that point, Innes left for Houston in 2016, a market he’d previously worked in, hoping for a fresh start. With so many burned bridges elsewhere, it was perhaps hoped that he could reboot his career at KBME (790 AM). His first show, in which he mocked the longtime host he’d replaced, wasn’t a promising start.

We hadn’t heard too much about how Innes was getting on there (perhaps purposefully tuning him out) until this week when he broke the news himself that his morning show had been terminated.

Innes is still listed on the KBME schedule, though the show has been removed from their Shows & Blogs drop-down. Per Barrett Sports Media, the show had also been syndicated on Sports 1280 in New Orleans but that station has replaced him in that timeslot with Clay Travis’ show.

According to the Houston Chronicle, Innes’ departure brings to an end a disappointing stint for him and the station. Owner iHeartMedia had apparently been pushing for a listenership boost that never materialized. Plus, as you probably guessed, there was some controversy on his watch. In 2017, the Houston Texans revoked his media credentials over “repeated violations of team media policies.” He was also part of a confrontation on Radio Row prior to Super Bowl LII with a rival talk show host that led to him getting booted (though many were left wondering if it was staged). And he was suspended last May after going off the rails in an on-air takedown of another rival radio host over some unappreciated Freezing Cold Takes.

There’s no word yet from the station about the move and why they did it. But if history has taught us anything, this entire cycle will probably repeat itself once again in a sports market near you.

[Houston Chronicle, Barrett Sports Media]

About Sean Keeley

Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.

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