Linda Cohn details 80% pay cut and bullying at ESPN
The former SportsCenter anchor told Sage Steele she was suspended in 2017 and sidelined before her departure in June.
By Natalia Costa ·
Linda Cohn described a final decade at ESPN marked by financial reduction and interpersonal conflict.
Cohn, 66, spoke on the Sage Steele Show on Wednesday about her exit from the network. She served as the longest tenured anchor of SportsCenter for 34 years before leaving on June 30.
Her tenure ended after a series of events she characterized as a gradual pushout. In 2017, Cohn said then-President John Skipper suspended her by phone. The suspension followed remarks she made to Sid Rosenberg of 77 WABC regarding layoffs. Cohn said Skipper yelled at her and told her not to come into the studio.
“I was shocked. I was devastated,” Cohn recalled. “He gets on the phone and he’s yelling at me.” She noted that she was close to tears during the call because she could not understand the reason for the suspension. Steele clarified that Cohn was technically told to take a day off from SportsCenter rather than formally suspended.
Skipper resigned in December 2017 after 27 years at The Walt Disney Company. He cited a need to seek treatment for substance addiction. In a 2018 interview, he identified the substance as cocaine and said an extortion attempt triggered his departure.
Cohn said she was later removed from NHL coverage and seated in a specific spot at the SportsCenter desk. She described this as being cast aside. Her salary changed in March 2025 when ESPN moved SportsCenter from Los Angeles to Bristol, Connecticut. Cohn stated her pay dropped by 80 percent during that transition.
“The last year I was technically at ESPN, they cut my salary by 80 percent when they closed the LA studio,” Cohn said. She added that colleagues received six weeks notice of the studio closure. Cohn signed a one year extension in June 2025 to avoid rushing her decision. The contract included 15 paid appearance events. She said she completed only five of those events before leaving.
Cohn said she pitched off camera roles, such as a company ambassador, but felt ignored. She stated that ESPN planned to issue a press release about her departure before giving her a proper on air farewell. She said she cried in the bathroom multiple times due to the treatment from colleagues.
Following her departure, Cohn launched The Linda Cohn Show on YouTube in July. She described the new venture as free from the constraints of her previous role. “For the first time I dont have a muzzle around my mouth, a gag,” she said. Cohn anchored more editions of SportsCenter than any other person in network history. ESPN did not respond to a request for comment.
