Former ESPN host details firing after support for women against trans athletes: ‘I thought this was sports’

Samantha Ponder says sharing stories about transgender athletes in women’s sports put her ‘on the clock’ with network executives

Samantha Ponder has been quiet about her firing from ESPN, until now.

Ponder had been vocal about transgender athletes in women’s sports on social media back in 2023, which she said prompted a warning from ESPN executives.

Ponder told Sage Steele on the latter’s podcast that she shared Paula Scanlan’s “story” about swimming against Lia Thomas, but then, “one of the top, top, top” bosses reached out to both former ESPN employees.

“I didn’t really think that was going to get much of a response, but it did,” Ponder said. “They were uncomfortable with me talking about the trans women in women’s sports issue and that they weren’t going to allow me to misgender people.”

Ponder then said she got a “detailed email” from execs that described “anything I had ever tweeted or favorite that they thought was offensive and warned me.”

“I knew then I was kind of on the clock, if you will,” Ponder said.

Ponder had kept quiet until last summer, even opting not to make a video about Riley Gaines when an ESPN initiative was for its female employees to record a video about an inspirational woman.

That is, until Imane Khelif caught her attention.

Ponder had shared her Olympic opponent Angela Carini’s quotes about having “enough” of Khelif in the ring. Khelif was previously barred from competing in another boxing tournament due to failed gender eligibility testing.

“ENOUGH is what all of us should be saying!! Proud of this woman,” Ponder posted at the time.

“And the next week, got a text that said, ‘Can you jump on a call with this person and this person in like an hour.’ And one of the bosses is someone I never hear from, and I was like, ‘This is it,’” Ponder said.

Ponder said that she believes other factors led to her eventual firing, including potential cheaper alternatives, while Ponder said she wanted to have a work-life balance with her family.

“But the timing of it almost certainly was,” Ponder, who revealed that top ESPN execs actually agreed with her on the issue, said.

Ponder then said getting let go was “one of the best thing that ever happened to me.”

“I was on that hamster wheel, and I was not going to jump off on my own. I needed to get kicked off. As much as the part of the reasoning behind it I think is legit crazy, I feel no bitterness or even frankly sadness. I had a great career. I was 20 years in that business. I met some awesome people, and there are still some really great people there. Never thought this would kind of be the way out, but I should have spoken up a long time before. I should have been a lot more courageous when I knew what was right,” Ponder said.

“You are not allowed to speak about any other issue [other than sports]. But I thought this was sports,” Ponder continued. “We’re talking about female collegiate athletes, Olympic athletes, and it’s wrong to shine a spotlight on that and give another voice, another opinion. I wasn’t against debate or healthy discussion. I just didn’t want anybody telling me, ‘No, no, no, you can’t talk about that.’ I wasn’t really giving my own opinions about it, as much as I was saying, ‘Listen to these girls, they’re in the locker rooms. Why do their opinions not deserve a platform when we’re giving awards for Women’s History Month to someone born male?’ I couldn’t understand it, I still don’t understand it.”

ESPN declined to comment.

“I didn’t really think that was going to get much of a response, but it did,” Ponder said. “They were uncomfortable with me talking about the trans women in women’s sports issue and that they weren’t going to allow me to misgender people.”