Former ESPN anchor Sage Steele’s transition from the Worldwide Leader into conservative political pundit has been well-documented.
Steele sued her employer in 2022, claiming she had been sidelined for publicly expressing her beliefs regarding the COVID-19 vaccine. 16 months later, Steele reached a settlement with ESPN and announced she would be leaving the network. In the years since, Steele has become a darling in right-wing media, hosting her own podcast, The Sage Steele Show, and frequently appearing on conservative talk shows.
On a recent appearance on Hang Out with Sean Hannity with the longtime Fox News host, which is set to release in full on Thursday, Steele discussed her decision to sue ESPN. In a clip exclusively obtained by Mediaite, Steele reveals she apologized to her children prior to going public with the lawsuit, knowing it was likely they’d experience “threats” because of her decision.
“This is super cheesy, but I’m gonna tell you this,” Steele began. “The night before the lawsuit dropped, I talked to each one of my kids—one was in college, two were in high school—and I needed them to know and to understand what was coming the next day. Because every time I said something, then my kids would get—I mean—threats. And they track your kids down on social media, and coaches and teachers and parents say awful things to your kids because of your opinion, which is sick, and that’s a whole other topic.
“But my son in particular, who’s now 22, so he was 18 at the time, 17—I said, ‘I just want to apologize for what’s coming, and I’m sorry. And don’t ever feel like you have to defend me, okay? But just remember, when someone gives you crap about me, just remind them of the importance of diversity of thought and that we are all entitled to our opinion, including your mom— including your crazy mom. But that matters, and don’t defend me.’ And my son looked at me and he said, ‘Mom, it’s about time you stood up for yourself.'”
In the clip, Steele also says she initially had no intentions to sue ESPN . She simply wanted an apology from the network.
“We asked first for an apology. It’s all we asked for. No, we’re not gonna sue. I love my job. Just please apologize to her. You made her do all this—the public apology—just apologize and we’ll drop it. And they laughed,” Steele said.
The former ESPN anchor was also in the headlines recently after being joined by First Take star Stephen A. Smith on her podcast. Steele confronted Smith over why he had not come out against transgender athletes in women’s sports sooner, to which Smith claimed he had always held the same position on the issue.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.