Twitter went wild on Tuesday when news broke that Michelle Beadle would replace Sage Steele as host of ESPN’s “NBA Countdown.”
Many quickly assumed Steele was fired, as ESPN is expected to announce on-air layoffs shortly. However, a source close to the situation told TheWrap that Steele is not expected to be among the layoffs and that she is a big part of the network’s plans.
As announced in September, Steele is leading the company’s “SportsCenter on the Road” show and is in the middle of high-profile assignments such as Final Four and The Masters.
Steele has been criticized for famously venting about missing a flight because of airport immigration protesters following President Trump’s executive order halting travel for immigrants from seven Muslim majority nations.
In an Instagram post, Steele wrote that she was sad “to see the joy on their faces knowing that they were successful in disrupting so many people’s travel plans.” Steele has also been criticized because of her views on the Black Lives Matter movement, having espoused “all lives matter.”
Many on Twitter were happy to learn that Steele won’t be the full-time host of “NBA Countdown” anymore.
https://twitter.com/jayserius/status/849276586247557121
Sage Steele is being replaced
Black people: pic.twitter.com/Ar244uoL93— Justice for Breonna Taylor! (@_Petty_Adjacent) April 4, 2017
https://twitter.com/whoisbrionrock/status/849310424310927361
When you heard a black woman on ESPN lost her job to a white woman but also heard it was Sage Steele pic.twitter.com/IDOkhpt8cQ
— Roddy (@iAM_RodWill) April 4, 2017
Also Twitter when Sage Steele was replaced by Michelle Beadle. ?? pic.twitter.com/rk8cKPQp2C
— Erick Fernandez (@ErickFernandez) April 4, 2017
https://twitter.com/Smartguygemini/status/849303776968290304
https://twitter.com/Smartguygemini/status/849296640892645377