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ESPN's former host Britt McHenry implies she was laid off over conservative views
Published June 27, 2017
McHenry was one who thought the cover went too far (The Associated Press)
Former ESPN host Britt McHenry hinted in a since-deleted tweet she was laid off by the network over her conservative politics.
“I mean I’ve been openly Conservative…look how that ended up," she tweeted Monday in reply to a tweet that claimed ESPN was leaning left.
McHenry was just one of around 100 employees the network let go in April. ESPN declined to comment on McHenry’s now-deleted tweet.
She seemed to address the accusation again on social media later Monday writing, “Need to take my opinions & truth to a place & blog that actually gets money for the clicks. I replied to a friend. Take it easy, Twitter.”
ESPN CUTS ABOUT 100 EMPLOYEES, INCLUDING ON-AIR TALENT
It’s not the first time the TV host has made headlines for going viral.
She was criticized in 2015 when a video made the rounds that showed her berating a towing employee in a profane rant during which she slammed the clerk’s appearance and intelligence.
In the video she told the towing attendant, “lose some weight, baby girl.”
McHenry apologized for the incident on Twitter and was suspended by ESPN for a week following the backlash.
A source with knowledge of the situation told Fox News McHenry’s years-old video had nothing to do with the decision to cut from the network as part of the layoffs that included on-air talent like Danny Kanell and Ed Werder.
The source explained McHenry had “dealt with [the backlash] at the time” from the towing video.
“This was two years later,” the source added of McHenry’s time at ESPN coming to an end.
On April 26, ESPN cut around 100 employees, citing a new strategy at the network that plans to increase focus on the ESPN App with a “multi-screen approach around big events” and boost the network’s online presence.
ESPN President John Skipper noted at the time, “Dynamic change demands an increased focus on versatility and value, and as a result, we have been engaged in the challenging process of determining the talent—anchors, analysts, reporters, writers and those who handle play-by-play—necessary to meet those demands.”
McHenry was laid off along with well-known ESPN faces like Len Elmore, Jayson Stark, Trent Dilfer and Brett McMurphy.
https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/espns-former-host-britt-mchenry-implies-she-was-laid-off-over-conservative-views