Former ESPN anchor-turned-conservative pundit Sage Steele had a frank conversation with her kids before she decided to sue the network where she worked for 16 years.
“I said, ‘I just want to apologize for what’s coming, and I’m sorry. And don’t ever feel like you have to defend me, okay?’” she revealed to host Sean Hannity on the Thursday, April 2 episode of his podcast, “Hang Out With Sean Hannity.”
Steele, 53, welcomed three children with ex-husband Jonathan Bailey, to whom she was married from 1999 to 2019. They share daughter Quinn, 24, son Nicolas, 22, and daughter Evan, 20.
The former SportsCenter anchor sued ESPN in 2022 after the network suspended her the year before for a series of controversial comments related to the COVID-19 vaccine, former President Barack Obama and more. She alleged that ESPN violated her free speech and breached her contract.
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Steele issued a public apology at the time for her remarks, saying, “I know my recent comments created controversy for the company, and I apologize. We are in the midst of an extremely challenging time that impacts all of us, and it’s more critical than ever that we communicate constructively and thoughtfully.”
The two parties settled in August 2023 and Steele left the network.
“The night before the lawsuit dropped, I talked to each one of my kids — one was in college, two were in high school — and I needed them to know and to understand what was coming the next day,” she told Hannity, 64. “Because every time I said something, then my kids would get — I mean — threats. And they track your kids down on social media, and coaches and teachers and parents say awful things to your kids because of your opinion, which is sick, and that’s a whole other topic.”
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Steele added that she told them, “‘But just remember, when someone gives you crap about me, just remind them of the importance of diversity of thought and that we are all entitled to our opinion, including your mom — including your crazy mom. But that matters, and don’t defend me.’ And my son looked at me and he said, ‘Mom, it’s about time you stood up for yourself.’”
Steele also revealed that she did not want to sue ESPN initially — she was only looking for an apology and had every intention of staying at her job.
“We asked first for an apology,” she said. “It’s all we asked for. No, we’re not gonna sue. I love my job. Just please apologize to her. You made her do all this — the public apology — just apologize and we’ll drop it. And they laughed.”