ESPN's Rachel Nichols Apologizes for the Controversial Comments She Made

J.K. Rowling revealed she’s been facing major backlash ever since those controversial comments about the transgender community.

In a memo sent to ESPN employees on Friday, ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro addressed what he called “nuanced and complicated personnel matters” related to “recent events.” Those events revolve around leaked comments made by one of the the network’s highest-profile female hosts Rachel Nichols, who is white, and another of the network’s highest-profile female hosts Maria Taylor, who is Black.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorESPN plans to drill deeper into issues of diversity and inclusion, going as far as to examine the exit interviews of recently departed employees, in the wake of a dispute that has engulfed two of the network’s basketball reporters, the chairman of the Disney-backed outlet told staffers in a memo.“Change takes time, and I ask for your partnership on this journey,” ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro said to employees in the memo, which was circulated last week.

Matt James and Rachael Kirkconnell are black tie-ready while walking the red carpet together at the 2021 Sports Humanitarian Awards on Monday night (July 12) in New York City.

Matt James, 29, clearly wasn’t trying to hide his relationship with Rachael Kirkconnell, 24! The Bachelor clapped back at The Bachelor creator and producer Mike Fleiss, 57, when he shared an article that said that Rachael and Matt came out of “hiding” to appear at the ESPYs Red Carpet on Saturday July 10. Matt responded to the tweet with a selfie of himself and Rachael looking shocked, as they tilted their sunglasses down on Sunday July 11. “Ain’t nobody hiding,” Matt joked.

Shots fired! Matt James and Rachael Kirkconnell might be staying on the down low since rekindling their romance, but the Bachelor Nation stars aren’t keeping secrets.

UPDATE: The short, unhappy career of Addison Rae as a UFC correspondent is apparently over. The social media influencer, who caused a momentary uproar when she tweeted out her apparently minor qualifications, won’t continue.

Social media influencer and upcoming film/TV star Addison Rae’s debut as a red carpet broadcaster is not sitting well with some veterans of the trade.

the Daily Beast reported on Friday his departure followed a clash with the media company’s top leadership.Rich did not immediately respond to a request for comment from TheWrap.Rich, who oversaw the company’s portfolio of digital outlets like Deadspin, Jezebel and Gizmodo, told The Daily Beast that his departure was not related to recent blowback from a Deadspin story he co-authored last year about ESPN host Rachel Nichols.The former editor at HuffPost and New York Daily News editor-in-chief

UPDATE, 8:45: ESPN anchor Maria Taylor has finally spoken out in the wake of the controversy surrounding remarks made about her by fellow employee Rachel Nichols.

said NABJ president Dorothy Tucker.

The diamond battle of Chicago will get some network airtime next month. ESPN said today that ABC will televise the August 8 White Sox-Cubs matchup from Wrigley Field — the first time the broadcast net has aired its Disney sibling’s Sunday Night Baseball game of the week.

Shortly before tip off of the first game of the 2021 NBA Finals, league commissioner addressed the media. Specifically, he addressed the turmoil at one of the league’s premiere TV partners, ESPN, surrounding hosts Rachel Nichols and Maria Taylor.

On the day of the start of the NBA Finals, ESPN’s premiere daily NBA show was missing from its schedule. Instead, according to the New York Post, viewers who tuned in at 3 p.m., ET on Tuesday found the two-man team of Jalen & Jacoby, who are usually The Jump‘s lead-in. A subsequent Jump schedule spot on ESPNH2 at 4 p.m., ET was replaced by the network’s Highly Questionable.

PHOENIX -- ESPN has replaced Rachel Nichols as its sideline reporter for the NBA Finals following a report detailing critical comments she made about Black colleague Maria Taylor.The network announced Tuesday that Malika Andrews would handle that role for the series between the Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks.Nichols, who is white, has been the sideline reporter for its top national games this season and for last year's NBA Finals.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorESPN had to devise a new game plan for the NBA Finals.The Disney-owned sports-media giant said it would move its veteran basketball reporter Rachel Nichols off sideline duties for the NBA Finals, slated to be broadcast tonight on ABC and feature the Milwaukee Bucks taking on the Phoenix Suns, and utilize Malika Andrews instead as it grapples with new scrutiny over how it handled a bizarre leak of Nichols on video appearing to disparage last year’s decision to use

The New York Times reported on Sunday that several of the company’s top NBA analysts had considered boycotting this year’s playoffs over how ESPN handled the situation.After the video spread internally at the network and was later partially leaked by Deadspin, Taylor told ESPN execs that she had decided to not finish covering the NBA season.