Controversial Exit: Samantha Ponder Speaks Out on Firing After Trans Athlete Comments

SHOCKING EXCLUSIVE! Former ESPN Host Samantha Ponder Spills the Tea on Her Explosive Firing: "I Was Told I Couldn't Misgender People"

Get ready for a juicy tell-all, folks! Samantha Ponder, the former Sunday NFL Countdown host, has finally opened up about her surprise firing from ESPN last year. And trust us, it's a doozy.

Ponder, 39, was let go by the network just two years into her three-year, $3 million contract in August 2024. At the time, ESPN attributed her exit to cost-cutting measures. But Ponder is setting the record straight, and it's not what you'd expect.

In a candid chat with fellow ex-ESPN star Sage Steele on her podcast, Ponder revealed that her controversial comments about transgender athletes in women's sports were a major factor in her firing. Specifically, she referenced her public opposition to boxer Imane Khelif, who won a gold medal at the 2024 Olympics despite being a biological male.

"I knew when I sent that [tweet] it wasn't going to go over well," Ponder admitted. "But to me, that's abuse. You have a male in a boxing ring with a female, literally beating her. And we're just supposed to be like 'Yay' in the name of inclusion?"

This isn't the first time Ponder has spoken out against trans athletes in women's sports. Back in June 2023, she retweeted a video post from former UPenn swimmer Paula Scanlan, who shared her own experiences as a teammate of trans athlete Lia Thomas. Ponder also commented on the issue multiple times on social media, claiming that allowing trans athletes to compete in women's sports "takes away so many opportunities for biological women and girls in sports."

So, was it just coincidence that Ponder got the axe shortly after speaking out against Khelif? Not according to her. "I don't really think me losing my job was solely because of that," she said, "but the timing of it almost certainly was... I was told privately that most people at the top of the company did agree with me on the issue, but there is a loud activist group at [ESPN owners] Disney and they were not happy with me."

Ponder also claimed that an ESPN executive emailed her, stating that the network was "uncomfortable" with her discussing trans athletes in women's sports and wouldn't allow her to "misgender people." When she asked for specifics, she received a detailed email the following week, citing examples of actions ESPN deemed "offensive."

"It's like they're trying to tell me what I can and cannot say," Ponder said. "I was like, 'What are you talking about? Any woman who's been to the gynecologist can understand that' [referencing a tweet from conservative voice Megyn Kelly]."

So, how does Ponder feel about her sudden exit from ESPN after 14 years with the network? Surprisingly, she views it as a blessing in disguise. "I was on that hamster wheel and I was not going to jump off on my own," she admitted. "I needed to get kicked off... As much as the part of the reasoning behind it is legit crazy, I feel no bitterness or even frankly sadness."

And there you have it, folks! The inside scoop on Samantha Ponder's dramatic departure from ESPN. Stay tuned for more juicy exclusives at thescholarlynote.com.

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