ESPN host Jemele Hill has confirmed that today will mark her last at ESPN, sharing statements of her departure on Twitter.
- After weeks of rumors and various reports, Jemele Hill made it official this morning, announcing she’s leaving ESPN after 12 years with the network.
- In a statement posted to her Twitter account, Hill wrote, “The time has come for me to begin a new chapter of my life.”
- She continued, writing, “A special thanks to former ESPN executive Keith Clinkscales for hiring me and to former ESPN President John Skipper for his steadfast belief in me. I’d also like to thank Jimmy Pitaro, Kevin Merida, Connor Schell and Rob King for their support and guidance as I wrestled with the most difficult decision of my career.”
- Finally, she sent sentiments to colleagues Michael Smith and others, writing, “To my friend, brother, and former co-host Michael Smith: I love you and you made me better in every possible way. I’m proud of everything we did, because nobody sold tapes out the trunk quite like us.”
- Following Hill’s announcement, Connor Schell (Executive Vice President, Content) issued a statement saying, “Jemele is an exceptionally talented writer, storyteller, host, and commentator whose unique voice has made ESPN’s many platforms better over the last 12 years. As she moves forward into the next phase of her career with the desire to produce content outside of sports, we wish her the best and thank her for her work.”
- Hill’s exit comes almost exactly a year after the host courted controversy for a tweet in which she called President Donald Trump a white supremacist.
- Although Hill was not reprimanded for that incident, she was suspended for two weeks a short time later for violating the network’s social media policy.
- Prior to her exit today, Hill served as Chief Correspondent and Senior Columnist for The Undefeated.