The past year has seen plenty of on-air talent leave ESPN for various reasons, and that trend continued on Wednesday.
Katie Nolan, who joined ESPN from Fox Sports back in 2017, announced on Twitter that she was no longer working for ESPN.
And just how Fox struggled to utilize her talents despite her leading an Emmy-winning show, ESPN’s approach seemed awfully similar. Nolan hosted Always Late, which was shown at odd times either on ESPN2 or pay-walled on ESPN+. The show was canceled in 2020 before the pandemic brought a wave of layoffs to the network. The next year mainly consisted of Nolan filling spot roles on afternoon shows and hosting her podcast.
She wasn’t exactly in a position to thrive with that programming strategy from ESPN. So, this move felt likely.
This year of slowing down has affected me on a cellular level. If you listen to the podcast this isn’t news to you. What’s next for me is to figure out how/where/when this new me can use the skills the old me acquired to make the stuff I think needs making. And maybe a vacation?
— Katie Nolan (@katienolan) September 29, 2021
Lastly, to the most beleaguered podcast fans in the game: Thank you, for all of it. Seeing you be decent and hilarious with each other online is the best evidence I have that I’m on a path worth walking. You rule. If you’re still here when I get back, I won’t forget that. LYMI.
— Katie Nolan (@katienolan) September 29, 2021
Nolan didn’t say what was next for her. But after the announcement, sports fans wished her the best and criticized ESPN for how they handled her time in Bristol.