Former 670 The Score host Dan Bernstein has publicly addressed his departure from the Chicago sports radio station, offering candid reflections on the events that led to his exit and the personal lessons he’s drawn over the past five months. In the debut episode of his podcast Dan Bernstein: Unfiltered, he combined accountability with introspection.
Bernstein attributed his departure earlier this year to a moment of personal lapse on social media, saying, “I went psycho on a Twitter troll. That’s why.” He stressed that the responsibility for what unfolded rested entirely on him, not on external forces or conspiracies.
“Everything that was coming to me, I have earned. I am facing still facing the consequences of my actions. It’s because of what I chose to do,” Bernstein said. “Explanations are not excuses. Everything that happened to me I earned, and that’s okay…..Nobody ganged up against me. There’s no vast conspiracy here. It’s my fault because of my shortcomings.”
Bernstein described the emotional toll the incident took, not only on himself but on his family, explaining that the fallout affected his home life and personal relationships.
“When you have your kids look at you like, ‘What the hell, dad? What are you doing? This is our house. This is our college education. It’s our livelihood. What are you putting at risk here?’” he said. “A wife of 26 years looking at you like that… the loneliness, the fear, and the shame was a real thing that I brought on myself and had to deal with.”
A significant part of Bernstein’s reflection focused on the role social media played in the incident. He described Twitter as having “rewired my brain for the worse” and cited what clinicians call the “dopamine outrage cycle,” a feedback loop that encourages addictive engagement with provocative content.
“There are ways that your brain starts to crave these things,” he said. “You don’t know what’s happening until you do something crazy.”
While Bernstein has largely stepped back from Twitter, he said he will maintain a presence on the platform for marketing purposes but will avoid reading notifications or engaging in reactive interactions. He noted that other platforms, like Blue Sky, offer a less toxic environment and allow him to keep informed without the emotional toll that Twitter exacted.
Reflecting on the broader impact of his departure, Bernstein expressed gratitude for the experience, framing it as an opportunity for personal growth.
“This whole process has been really valuable in cleaning a whole bunch of things out,” he said. “I was very set in my ways and very comfortable. I do think that also contributed to the insolerity of my own thinking. This shock to the system after five months… I’m going to look back on this as one of the best things to happen to me.”
The Chicago radio landscape has seen numerous high-profile departures in recent years, but Bernstein’s open acknowledgment of his role and willingness to discuss mental health and social media challenges marks a rare level of transparency in the industry.
He emphasized that his reflections are not intended as excuses but as lessons learned, and ones he will continue to share on his new podcast.
“I’ve learned a lot about my shortcomings. None of what I’m going to tell you about what I’ve learned is meant to sound like an excuse in any way,” Bernstein said. “Acknowledging and understanding that is immensely important in rebuilding and healing, which is what I’ve been doing.”
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Didn’t he offer a similar “apology” after his lunch was handed to him over the salicous comments he made about the Female Minority TV Sports person? The usual “I was an idiot” stuff if I recall. So he’s also telling us that the TeleHealth counseling service he pushed on air ads and claimed to personally use did NOT help him see this Fish event coming? Remember, Dan has a Minor in Drama from Duke, he can play a lot of parts, he’s brilliant at voice imitation–I hope he’s being truthful and stops with the nonsense that apparently made him famous. And again, there was NO TWITTER when he and his present sidekick Matt Abbatacola went after Ron Santo after Ron’s leg amputations from diabetic complications. The really bad part about Dan (and Matt) was they doubled down on the jokes when the Santo Family and local news sports writers begged them to stop. That’s deep seated hate with that kind of stuff. Claims its not who he is anymore—have heard the same lines for years. Best wishes, especially for your family who has to live with the fall out. Not sure I really care what he has to say about the Bears that isn’t already being said.
Today Day 2 he went after Hulk Hogan and Dr James Dobson—HARD…down and dirty, urinating on grave kind of talk. So much for the psychotherapy working. Same Bernstein, he will blow again very soon. Still with the hatred towards all that are White, Christian, Conservative. Bears backup QB, Tyson Bagent and his family are next. His usual mob loves his return, the dude is NOT fixed, he’s just as hateful as ever–just not reading X comments his only real change.
He can tell his story walking.