Former ESPN host Sam Ponder is opening up about the circumstances surrounding her departure from the network, revealing in a recent interview that pushback over her support of female athletes in the transgender sports debate played a key role in her exit.
Ponder appeared on The Sage Steele Show, hosted by her former colleague, where she said she had been on ESPN’s radar for over a year after publicly endorsing voices like swimmer Paula Scanlan and former Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines—both of whom have spoken out against the participation of trans women in women’s sports.
“I kind of knew it was possible for a little over a year,” Ponder said. “In the summer of 2023, I had tweeted or retweeted at the time Paula Scanlan who was a swimmer at UPEN with Lia Thomas. She had shared her story. I tweeted something to the effect of it’s worth listening to her story. This is really powerful, and didn’t thinks that was going to get much of a response. It did. But then Sage and I both got the same email.”
That email, according to Ponder, warned her that ESPN leadership was uncomfortable with her commentary and that she should refrain from “misgendering people.” When she asked for specifics, Ponder said the executive admitted he wasn’t sure what policy she had violated.
Soon after, Ponder says she received a detailed follow-up email pointing out that she had “liked” a tweet by Megyn Kelly that read similar to, “Men don’t need gynecologists.” While Ponder didn’t seem to find the content of Kelly’s tweet an issue, ESPN flagged that action as problematic as well as a number of other ones.
Following that e-mail exchange, Ponder says she knew she wouldn’t be long at the network.
“I wrote a really long email that was firing off all my thoughts, but I saved it as a draft and didn’t send anything,” said Ponder. “I knew then that I was on the clock if you will.”
Ponder then explained how she was asked to tape a feature for women’s history month in which she would explain the story of a woman who was most inspirational to her. She said she wanted to do a piece on Riley Gaines, but instead chose to tape a piece on her mother fearing company backlash.
Later that month, ESPN did a feature on Lia Thomas during women’s history month who became the first openly transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I national championship in any sport.
“That did something to me. I don’t know why, it’s kind of emotional to me,” explained Ponder. “There’s so many incredible women who have dealt with the struggles that are unique to womanhood. For the company to basically say, ‘We’re going to take that spot. We’re going to give it to someone who by their own admission has only “become a woman” within the last year.'”
Though Ponder emphasized that she doesn’t believe she was fired solely over her social media activity, she acknowledged the timing wasn’t coincidental. “The model of my career at that point—only working Sundays on Countdown—wasn’t what they wanted,” said Ponder. “I had been really clear on my boundaries at work. I really don’t think my losing my job was solely because of that [social media posts], but the timing almost certainly was,” she said referencing another post criticizing a trans woman boxing a female opponent.
“They texted me for a call while I was out shopping for NFL gear for my son,” Ponder added. “That’s when I knew.”
Ponder says she did get some support following her dismissal from people at “the top of the company” saying that there is a “loud activist group at Disney,” the parent company of ESPN.
“I should’ve been a lot more courageous,” she admitted. “I wasn’t even really giving my own opinions about it more as much as I was saying listen to these girls. They’re in the locker rooms. Why did they’re opinions not deserve a platform when we’re giving awards for women’s history month to someone born male? I couldn’t understand it.”
Despite the rocky exit, Ponder expressed no bitterness. “It’s one of the best things that’s ever happened to me. I was on the hamster wheel and wouldn’t have jumped off on my own. I needed to get kicked off,” she said.
Ponder spent over a decade at ESPN and most recently served as a host on Sunday NFL Countdown.
“I feel no bitterness or even frankly sadness,” said Ponder. “I had a great career.”
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