Throughout the last fiscal year, The Walt Disney Company underwent a strategic reorganization that divided its business interests into separate, distinct entities. Shortly after this change, the media conglomerate sought to slash $5.5 billion in costs wherefore it eliminated nearly 7,000 jobs, equating to approximately 4% of its global workforce. Just before the start of July, ESPN laid off several members of its on-air talent roster, including Mark Jackson, Jeff Van Gundy and Suzy Kolber.
These drastic job cuts came several months before Disney released financial data for its sports division, revealing that annual revenue within the segment equated to $3.8 billion, up 1% year-over-year. Preceding the move was the cancellation of the ESPN Radio morning program, Keyshawn, JWill & Max, and it ultimately led to Max Kellerman and Keyshawn Johnson also losing their positions at the company.
Johnson, however, had recently inked a multi-year contract with ESPN and therefore could not join another network. After a few months went by, he and the network reached a settlement that allowed him to officially sign on with FOX Sports to appear on FS1 as a new member of Undisputed. The morning show opted to implement a rotating panel of analysts after the departure of Shannon Sharpe, who had been with the show since its launch in 2016. Johnson is on the program five days a week as its co-host and is continuing to grow accustomed to the program within its second quarter in the revamped format.
“It’s a conversation and not necessarily entirely about debating as much as it is about conversation,” Johnson said. “Whether you like something or not, it’s a conversation to discuss.”
Johnson’s new podcast is titled Undisputed Presents: All Facts No Brakes with Keyshawn Johnson, joining the portfolio of original digital series at FOX Sports. The show will post new episodes twice per week and provide his opinions on a variety of topics both in and out of sports. Rather than talking about the nuances of the games themselves as is done on Undisputed, Johnson will instead focus on how the game will be discussed. In this sense, Johnson is operating in a derivative manner as someone who will proffer commentary and give consultation in the court of public opinion.
“I believe I’m good at what I do because I’m not sitting around not trying to be objective,” Johnson said. “I’m as level-headed across the board as everything because if you get into this business in general, whether it’s a podcast or Undisputed or an NFL Countdown for FOX on Sunday, whatever it is, and you can’t be objective, then you’re probably in the wrong business.”
This project will be the first podcasting endeavor Johnson embarks on. In watching active and former players explore the space, along with various media personalities, he is certain that it will give him a space to penetrate more niche topics. The nonlinear program also allocates more proprietary control over the format, layout and style, although it will not be completely extemporaneous. Whether he is talking about one of his former organizations, teammates or coaches though, Johnson will bring that objectivity and seek to remain a credible source.
“[FOX Sports executives] kind of put me in a position to be able to utilize this platform to talk about things other than what is on Undisputed every single day, and that’s kind of what I’m going to be able to do,” Johnson said. “Have fun with it; enjoy it; poke fun at guests; guests can poke fun back at me, and we can just enjoy the conversation.”
Johnson won a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers following the 2002 season, a momentous achievement in which Johnson was firmly embedded for his offensive prowess and leadership. Akin to participating in athletic competition, Johnson has continued utilizing his instincts and making adaptations in real time, effectively reacting to and providing opinions about breaking news or ongoing developments.
“It’ll be planned out,” Johnson said of his new podcast. “Not necessarily a tight and buttoned up rundown, but you’ve got to have a sense of format; a sense of control. You can’t just be winging things. I’m not sticking solely to a script in the rundown so to speak.”
Shortly after his retirement from professional football, Johnson began working at ESPN as an analyst where he appeared on various NFL studio-based programs, such as Sunday NFL Countdown and Monday NFL Countdown. Within his formative years in sports media, he created a unique segment on the show titled, ‘C’mon Man!,’ in which the panelists would select a moment from the previous week to laugh at and/or criticize.
“Having been on both sides – to understand the game and having tons of relationships in this business – you just bring a different perspective,” Johnson said. “I’ve been in this thing for a while, so I’ve got a lot of personal friendships and just different things that I am privy to and adhere to things that others aren’t, so that in itself brings a different level to the viewers.”
After several years of working in various facets at the network, Johnson was relieved of his duties on Sunday NFL Countdown and other platforms. Shortly thereafter though, he made his return on the air that included hosting a new weekday morning show on ESPN LA 710 alongside Jorge Sedano. The radio program allowed him to appeal directly to a local market, but it was work he had to balance with obligations in other areas at the network. There were times he would frequently appear on SportsCenter and other daytime programming in addition to the radio show. Upon Sedano moving to afternoon drive, Johnson continued working with LZ Granderson and had Travis Rodgers join the program in 2018.
Keyshawn Johnson was part of the revamped edition of NFL Live, which relaunched ahead of kickoff for the 2020 NFL season. Working alongside host Laura Rutledge and analysts Marcus Spears, Mina Kimes and Dan Orlovsky, Johnson added his esoteric perspectives and offered his analysis on the show. Within the same quarter, Johnson became a co-host of Keyshawn, JWill and Zubin with Jay Williams and Zubin Mehenti. The program aired on the national ESPN Radio platform and was simulcast on ESPN2, and the cast of the program quickly developed a working chemistry with one another. Because of these new roles, his time hosting the local morning program on ESPN LA 710 was over and he relocated to the East Coast.
“It was real different, and so a lot of the views and the takes may have been different from what people were used to because they’re just not used to certain things,” Johnson said. “When you’ve been stuck [in] a place for so long as a viewer and something new comes up, it takes a minute for that cycle to come around, and I thought we did a tremendous job with that cycle. It was a fun show to be on; those guys were fun to work with.”
When Johnson ultimately learned of the network’s decision to include him in its layoffs, he was not entirely perplexed. Instead, he simply wanted to be able to continue working in sports media rather than earning the remainder of his contract under its provisions and limitations. Sitting on the sidelines and being paid without an occupation was a reality Johnson did not want to face, and he worked to ensure it would be remedied.
“Starting with Sunday and Monday [Night] Countdown straight off the field and getting [to work] with Hall of Famers – Mike Ditka and Chris Carter and Tom Jackson and Chris Berman – so I was always confident,” Johnson said. “I wasn’t worried about it at all.”
Although ESPN opted to remove him from the air, Johnson conveyed that it was a decision based on the financial status and projections of the company. Within the interim period in which he was trying to determine his next step, he continued maintaining a strong belief in his on-air qualities and acumen. Having been in the business for over 17 years on programs across various platforms, Johnson’s internal maxim pertaining to his own self-efficacy remained staunch in optimism and anticipation for his next chance.
“As far as my ability as an analyst and a broadcaster, I’d put mine up with anybody,” Johnson said. “Anybody across the board on any given day on any given level. I feel that way; I still feel that way.”
Conveying his genuine self to the audience rather than utilizing a hackneyed, fictitious persona allows Johnson to concisely articulate what he is feeling and how he perceives facets of the material. Through it all, he also wants to maintain perspective about his job.
“A lot of times in this space, people get caught up,” Johnson said. “All it is is entertainment, man; it’s not that deep. The [world is not] going to end.”
Working with Skip Bayless every weekday, Johnson has aimed to remain true to himself while keeping viewers both informed and entertained. Although the program is typically classified as a debate-based show, Johnson finds that much of the discourse is conversational in nature. Before he even took the air, there was debate in the public forum as to whether he and Bayless would be able to establish chemistry in the mornings and work well together.
“Working with Skip is interesting because he’s an older guy with a lot of energy and [is] very smart,” Johnson said. “He’s got a lot in his brain from like, forever. It’s fun working with him, talking about the details and just having normal conversations.”
Johnson will record his podcast from the network’s recently unveiled digital studios in Los Angeles, Calif., and all episodes will be available for consumers to watch and/or listen. Rather than signing with another company to host and produce a podcast, he quickly found that FOX Sports was committed to the sector of its business. Additionally, the network had spent time yearning to perfect the craft and ultimately perpetuated the most effective value proposition.
“I’m not looking to be a star; I’m not looking to all of a sudden own the digital space,” Johnson said. “Some people are looking to do that, and that’s okay. There’s nothing wrong with it, [but] that’s just not who I am. I’m satisfied and happy with my broadcasting career.”
Whether it has been on the field or behind the microphone, Johnson is aware that he is part of a larger team collectively functioning towards a common goal. Receiving auspicious feedback from his bosses emphasizing his performance and other abilities on television plays a significant role into the equation. The other part of the paradigm is ensuring his own well-being and contentment with the company while doing everything he can to make sure he does not fail.
“[If] they’re happy, I’m happy,” Johnson said. “I’ve always looked at everything that way. If they’re happy, I’m extremely happy.”
As Johnson works to establish the podcast in the sphere of FOX Sports digital properties while continuing his work on Undisputed, he is grateful for the position he finds himself in. Maintaining the trust of consumers and retaining a platform to express his opinions comes in presenting an indefatigable work ethic with an unwavering drive to succeed. Johnson is focused on being at his best for FOX Sports and taking part in worthwhile, insightful conversations.
“I don’t get all caught up in feelings about players and statistics and, ‘This guy was better than you,’ and, ‘That guy’s better than him,’” Johnson explained. “I don’t subscribe to that type of behavior because when you’re confident and you are happy within your own skin, you don’t get caught up in those types of things.”
Derek Futterman is a contributing editor and sports media reporter for Barrett Media. Additionally, he has worked in a broad array of roles in multimedia production – including on live game broadcasts and audiovisual platforms – and in digital content development and management. He previously interned for Paramount within Showtime Networks, wrote for the Long Island Herald and served as lead sports producer at NY2C. To get in touch, find him on X @derekfutterman.
