Last call just came early for “Barstool Van Talk.” ESPN has canceled the Barstool Sports show after airing just a single episode of the program — and even that one was only telecast in the highly un-coveted 1 a.m. time slot on ESPN2.
That said, the short-lived series itself wasn’t the problem here, ESPN brass said — at issue was where it came from. Barstool Sports has come under fire recently for sexist remarks made in 2014 by the company’s president, David Portnoy, and what many critics see as a generally misogynistic culture. Disney don’t play that.
Last week, ESPN’s “Morning Countdown” host Sam Ponder battled back and forth with the blog over one such post that called her out specifically. Sounds like her bosses were listening.
“While we had approval on the content of the show, I erred in assuming we could distance our efforts from the Barstool site and its content,” ESPN president John Skipper said of Monday’s cancellation.
“Apart from this decision, we appreciate the efforts of Big Cat and PFT Commenter,” he continued. “They delivered the show they promised.”
Read Skipper’s full statement below.
Statement from ESPN President John Skipper about Barstool Van Talk: pic.twitter.com/ysgSKDvmjx
— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) October 23, 2017
Watch the lone episode of ESPN’s “Barstool Van Talk” above.