ESPN cancels 'Barstool Van Talk' after one week
ESPN president John Skipper on Monday announced he was canceling Barstool Van Talk after only one episode.
"While we had approval over the content of the show, I erred in assuming we could distance our efforts from the Barstool site and its content," Skipper said.
The show from Barstool Sports premiered Oct. 17 at 1 a.m. on ESPN 2 and featured Barstool’s Dan “Big Cat” Katz and PFT Commenter. "They delivered the show they promised," Skipper said in his statement.
ESPN reporter Sam Ponder was among those who expressed displeasure with her network's partnership with Barstool due to sexist remarks made in the past.
"I was wrong in thinking @BarstoolBigCat wrote that article & called me a slut repeatedly. He just continuously laughed along. It was the PRESIDENT of @barstoolsports who said these things. Happy to clarify," she wrote on Twitter. "I can simultaneously admit my own flaws & failings & say yes, I am disappointed that we are promoting a company name that still maintains support for horrific personal attacks against multiple women within ESPN."
Barstool Sports said in a statement posted on its Pardon My Take Twitter account that it was disappointed with the news.
"We had a great time working on the show and were extremely excited about the future," according to the statement. "Although we are heartbroken, Pardon My take will continue to get bigger and strong every single day."
Statement from ESPN President John Skipper about Barstool Van Talk: pic.twitter.com/ysgSKDvmjx
— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) October 23, 2017
A statement on today's news: pic.twitter.com/JyaxG4l5kO
— Pardon My Take (@PardonMyTake) October 23, 2017
I was wrong in thinking @BarstoolBigCat wrote that article & called me a slut repeatedly. He just continuously laughed along. It was the PRESIDENT of @barstoolsports who said these things. Happy to clarify.
— Sam Ponder (@sam_ponder) October 17, 2017
3/4 I can simultaneously admit my own flaws & failings & say yes, I am disappointed that we are promoting a company name that still maintains support for horrific personal attacks against multiple women within ESPN.
— Sam Ponder (@sam_ponder) October 18, 2017
4/4 I am speaking up not to say “I am perfect, be like me” but rather “where do we draw a line, what are our standards?” I don’t meet my own standards sometimes. This does not mean we throw the standard away. This means we get better. We speak up. We listen. We get better.
— Sam Ponder (@sam_ponder) October 18, 2017