ESPN lays off Monday Night Countdown hosts Suzy Kolber and Steve Young
ESPN made some severe cuts on Friday, laying off both Suzy Kolber and Steve Young. The two were hosts on the network’s NFL Monday Night Countdown pre-game show.
Kolver announced the news on Twitter. She wrote: “Today I join the many hard-working colleagues who have been laid off. Heartbreaking-but 27 years at ESPN was a good run. So grateful for a 38 yr career! Longevity for a woman in this business is something I’m especially proud of. Next step- a project that gives back.”
Front Office Sports confirmed that ESPN also laid off Steve Young along with Suzy Kolber. Young was a Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback with the 49ers. He worked for ESPN for 22 years.
Steve Young and Suzy Kolber were among roughly 20 on-air ESPN personalities who lost their jobs, Friday.
The network sent a memo to all employees alerting them to the job cuts.
The memo said: “In order to identify additional cost savings, ESPN determined it necessary to turn the cost management focus to public-facing commentator salaries, and that process has begun. This exercise will include a small group of job cuts in the short-term and an ongoing focus on managing costs when we negotiate individual contract renewals in the months ahead.”
Then after news broke about Kolber and Young, word leaked that Todd McShay, ESPN’s long-time NFL draft guru, lost his job.
Everyone who was laid off will have their contracts paid in full. However, the salaries won’t appear on next year’s books. Disney, ESPN’s parent company, had been trimming jobs across the board throughout the first six months of 2023.
ESPN also cut NBA analyst Jeff Van Gundy. In addition, the network laid off Max Kellerman, Keyshawn Johnson and Jalen Rose.