Sage Steele Exits ESPN After Settling Lawsuit: “I Can Exercise My First Amendment Rights More Freely”

By Samantha Nungesser @samjnungesser
Published Aug. 15, 2023, 4:09 p.m. ET

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Sage Steele is ready to exercise her “first amendment rights.” The longtime ESPN anchor, who has come under fire in recent years for her controversial stance on the COVID-19 vaccine, has officially left the Disney-owned sports network.

Steele, who joined ESPN in 2007, revealed that she decided to leave her anchoring gig after recently settling a lawsuit with her now-former employer.

“Having successfully settled my case with ESPN/Disney, I have decided to leave so I can exercise my first amendment rights more freely,” Steele said in an Instagram post.

She continued, “I am grateful for so many wonderful experiences over the past 16 years and am excited for my next chapter!”

The media personality alleged in a 2022 lawsuit that Disney and ESPN “sidelined” her after she appeared on Jay Cutler‘s Uncut podcast. While speaking to the former Chicago Bears quarterback, she slammed ESPN’s coronavirus vaccine mandate as “sick,” questioned Former President Barack Obama‘s racial lineage, and criticized women who wear suggestive clothing in the workplace.

According to the lawsuit, ESPN and Disney allegedly “relied on the misleading characterizations of her comments, bowed to groupthink” and forced Steele into a “humiliating public apology,” per NBC News. Steele further claimed that the companies breached her contract and violated her free-speech rights amid their response to the comments she made on the podcast.

“ESPN and Disney have continued to punish Steele by removing her from prime assignments, including coverage of the New York City Marathon, the Rose Parade, and the 12th Annual ESPNW Summit, which Steele had hosted and emceed since its inception in 2010,” the suit alleged.

Steele argued that she was protected by the First Amendment since she appeared on the podcast as a private citizen on her day off — and said she was not speaking on the company’s behalf.

“ESPN and Sage Steele have mutually agreed to part ways,” the network said in a statement obtained by Variety. “We thank her for her many contributions over the years.”