Fox Sports Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

The shocking death of soccer writer Grant Wahl has prompted an outpouring of tributes. The 48-year-old Wahl died on Friday under murky circumstances while covering the World Cup in Qatar.

Fox Corp. and DirecTV agreed to a multi-year carriage renewal, agreeing to extend talks for several hours beyond the prior deal’s expiration in order to avoid a blackout of several networks and local stations.

A London-based investor in Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. and Fox Corp. has reportedly expressed its opposition to the companies’ potential reunification.

Sunday’s 2022 World Cup opener between hosts Qatar and Ecuador drew an average of about 3.2M multi-platform viewers for Fox Sports.

As more live sports programming migrates from linear TV to streaming, Roku is rolling out a new area within its streaming interface designed to help fans follow the action.

Tom Brady was not having it during Sunday’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Pittsburgh Steelers game.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Subscribers to Altice USA’s Optimum cable service face the prospect of days ahead without Fox’s broadcasts of NFL football and post-season Major League Baseball if contract talks between the two sides fail. Fox is starting to tell Altice subscribers via messages on its broadcast stations and cable networks that they face a potential blackout of programming. Fox and Altice have been in discussions for the past several weeks, according to a person familiar with the matter, but remain “materially apart” on terms. The companies’ current contract is slated to end at midnight Thursday, this person says. Meanwhile, Altice believes Fox is seeking rate increases that would be onerous to subscribers.

Michaela Zee editor Fox Sports Films has announced the upcoming original documentary “David Ortiz: Legend of the Fall,” spotlighting Boston Red Sox veteran and Fox MLB analyst Ortiz (aka Big Papi). The sports documentary is set to premiere Oct. 14 on FS1. “David Ortiz: Legend of the Fall” follows the baseball career and legacy of Ortiz, from the Red Sox’s three World Series championships to his Hall of Fame induction. The documentary film features exclusive interviews with various teammates and rivals, along with behind-the-scenes footage showcasing Ortiz’s intimate moments and celebrations. “This film sends the message to my fans that if you have faith and don’t quit, you can achieve your dreams,” said Ortiz in a statement. “I was very fortunate to achieve mine and I am humbled by my entry into the Baseball Hall of Fame. I am honored that Fox Sports, Check Point Productions and my very own Big Papi Productions captured my baseball career and special moments at the plate – giving me the gift of being able to relive these precious times in my life. I am equally proud of my accomplishments off the field and being able to share them with my family and community. I hope my fans will enjoy the film as much as I have.”

J. Kim Murphy Terry Bradshaw took a moment on this week’s “Fox NFL Sunday” broadcast to address concerns regarding his health status, revealing that he has undergone two surgeries within the last year after being diagnosed with bladder cancer and a form of skin cancer. “Last week on the show, I ran out of breath… A lot of people were asking, ‘What’s wrong with me? What’s happened to me physically?’ I just want to address it and let you know what has happened in my life,” Bradshaw began, speaking during a panel discussion on the broadcast. The 74-year-old Pittsburgh Steelers legend and NFL broadcasting titan went on to explain that he was diagnosed with bladder cancer last November. After receiving surgery and treatment at Yale University’s medical center, the condition was safely resolved. In March, Bradshaw’s doctors discovered a Merkel cell tumor in his neck, “a rare form of skin cancer,” which was then also addressed with another surgery at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Super Bowl LVII won’t start until February 12 of next year.  Even so, Fox, the network slated to broadcast the event, is close to scoring a major game touchdown. The network is nearly sold out of commercial inventory for the sports extravaganza, says Mark Evans, executive vide president of ad sales for Fox Sports, in an interview, with 95% of its Super Bowl ad inventory spoken for. The executive estimated Fox has five or fewer 30-second slots left to sell. Activity around the Super Bowl has “escalated significantly,” says Evans. Advertisers “are eager for sports, without question, but I also think the major marketers who are going to be in the game want to make sure they can secure the position they want.” So-called “A positions,” or the first ads in commercial breaks, “are very finite,” says Evans. “It’s a perishable commodity.”

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorTaylor Rooks is getting ready to open another field of study.The Bleacher Report standout and up-and coming Turner Sports broadcaster has signed a new multi-year deal to broadcast across both the digital-sports outlet and TV programs produced by the Warner Bros. Discovery sports division, even as she has secured a role as a features reporter for the new “Thursday Night Football” streamcast being handled by Amazon’s Prime Video.Rooks has been known for her coverage of the NBA.

Fox has completed a multi-year renewal of its distribution agreement with Verizon for its Fios TV platform.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorWWE has hired Craig Stimmel, most recently head of global brands at Snap, to head sales and partnerships at the wrestling entertainment company.He replaces Claudine Lilien, who exited WWE earlier this summer after serving a little over a year as SVP, head of global sales and partnerships.Stimmel will report to WWE chairwoman and co-CEO Stephanie McMahon and WWE co-CEO Nick Khan.His hiring comes after former CEO and chairman Vince McMahon on July 22 announced he was retiring amid ongoing investigations into allegations that he paid millions of dollars to multiple women to keep quiet about alleged affairs and misconduct. (WWE said it will revise financial statements going back to 2019 to account for $14.6 million of “certain payments” that Vince McMahon made during his tenure as chairman and CEO.) WWE appointed his daughter Stephanie and Khan to take over as co-CEOs.

Alex Rodriguez was keeping busy this weekend while his ex-fiancée, Jennifer Lopez, and Ben Affleck were tying the knot in Las Vegas.The former MLB pro, who has most recently been romantically linked to 25-year-old fitness model Katherine Padgett, was in California and posted videos to his Instagram Story of his weekend workout, which included running up bleachers at UCLA and doing pull-ups and push-ups.From there, he went to work, sharing a photo and video of himself and David Ortiz filming a show for Fox Sports.  After the show, Rodriguez and Ortiz joined a few other guys for dinner at Mr. Chow in Beverly Hills, California.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorSome of the nation’s big-spending advertisers are taking a new swing at one of its oldest sports.When Fox telecasts Major League Baseball’s 2022 All-Star Game from Los Angeles Tuesday night, viewers are likely to notice big-league pitches from 25 marketers that have never purchased spots in the event, including Samsung, Adobe, Banc of America, Intel, Qatar Airways and Airbnb. They will join a slew of commercials from companies like Mastercard, Geico, General Motors, T-Mobile, Apple and Google that are already regular league sponsors.“We are up 30% higher on a revenue basis in the All-Star Game than we have been in any previous game,” says Mark Evans, executive vice president of sales for Fox Sports, in an interview.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorCharissa Thompson, a regular presence at Fox Sports, is broadening her horizons.The sportscaster, known for hosting “Fox NFL Kickoff” on Sundays during the NFL season, will also be working Thursday nights. Amazon’s Prime Video has selected Thompson to host its pregame, halftime and postgame coverage of “Thursday Night Football,” of which the first season under its aegis will launch this fall.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorFX has long been known for iconoclastic dramas like “The Shield” or “The Americans” that feature flawed protagonists and inventive plots. Next year, it may serve up more of those things — but not from scripted series.In 2023, FX will start showing spring football games from the XFL, the startup league backed by Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia. Under a pact unveiled recently, FX and its corporate siblings at Disney will televise XFL games between 2023 and 2027.In its earlier days as a startup under the former News Corp.

Fox Sports, a few weeks after making a splash by announcing Tom Brady would be joining the network as an NFL analyst when his playing career is over, has confirmed its lead announcing talent for 2022.

Fox Sports reporter Megan Barnard, who was dramatically outed by a former colleague, has spoken out about the incident and how it impacted her life in a revealing new interview.Speaking with Stellar, Barnard, 37, said,“No one should ever be forced to come out before they’re ready, it can be dangerous.”Barnard was relating her personal experience of being outed by her former colleague, AFL journalist Tom Morris, who made disparaging remarks about Bernard’s sexuality in an audio clip posted to a WhatsApp group chat. The leaked audio was made public in March, and outed Barnard, who prior to the leak was not public with being gay.Barnard, who has been a sports presenter for Fox Sports since 2013, told Stellar, “People have messaged to share their stories, struggles and fears of coming out — and of being outed.”“I have tried to respond to everyone that has contacted me. If this resonates with just one person and makes them realise it’s OK to be gay, that it’s not something to hide or run from then sitting down for this article has been worth it,” Barnard said.“I knew I was gay from the age of 12… It was such a painful time during my teens, feeling what I was feeling and desperately wanting those thoughts to go away and to be like everyone else,” Barnard said.“I tried to fight it for years because we had all been taught that being gay ‘wasn’t normal. It was just so overwhelming, it was the elephant in the room.

Cynthia Littleton Business EditorFox Corp. surprised the industry on Monday by hosting an upfront programming presentation that was entirely pre-recorded.About 800 attendees gathered at the Skylight venue in Lower Manhattan for the presentation that unfolded in immersive fashion across giant screens.Attendees sat nightclub-style in the round at small tables.

Ray Scott, dubbed the “Father of Modern Bass Fishing” for helping turn a regional leisure sport into an industry with an economic impact of $125 billion per year and related media including magazines, web sites and an iconic TV Show, died in his sleep Sunday night at his home in Alabama, according to an announcement on Bassmaster.com. He was 88.

Plans after plans. Tom Brady is set to join Fox Sports after he retires from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The seven-time Super Bowl champion was announced as the new lead analyst for Fox Sports.

While Tom Brady doesn’t have a retirement date, we now know what he’ll be doing once he finally puts the pigskin down — he’s headed to Fox Sports.Fox chief executive officer and executive chair, Lachlan Murdoch, announced the news on Tuesday’s earnings call for the company. “We are delighted that Tom has committed to joining the Fox team and we wish him all the best,” Murdoch said. During the Q&A portion of the earnings call, the first person to pose questions to the Fox leadership team brought up Brady, joking that he wouldn’t ask when Brady was going to retire, but Lachlan addressed it anyway.“It’s entirely up to him for when he chooses to retire,” Murdoch said, noting he expects Brady to have an “exciting and stellar television career, but it’s up to him to make that choice when he sees fit.”Brady announced his retirement from football in Feb.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorElon Musk is waiting in the wings to get his hands on Twitter — with a slew of new ideas to shake up the social network. But on Wednesday evening, Twitter was trying to keep things business as usual, unveiling a series of content pacts at its NewFronts presentation in New York.“It has been a quiet month at Twitter,” JP Maheu, VP of global client solutions, deadpanned at the beginning of the preso.

Twitter announced new content partnerships with Fox Sports, WNBA, Sean Combs’ Revolt network, E! News, Condé Nast and Essence at the 2022 Digital Content NewFronts on Wednesday. “The Twitter timeline is where highlights hit first.

Fox Sports and Twitter are expanding a partnership to feature previews and live pre-game shows for every FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 match.

Fox Sports, which will broadcast the 2022 World Cup in the U.S., has set the schedule for the 64 matches it will carry between November 21 and December 18.

Dodgers play-by-play announcer Joe Davis has a new role at Fox Sports. He’s been named the lead play-by-play announcer for Fox Sports’ Major League Baseball coverage.“It’s been amazing to watch Joe’s continued growth over the years developing into one of the elite broadcasters in all of sports,” Brad Zager, president of production/operations and executive producer for Fox Sports, said in a statement. “As an integral part of our coverage over the last several years, his transition onto baseball’s biggest stage is a natural fit and we couldn’t be more excited to have him as the new voice of MLB on Fox.”Davis has been calling Los Angeles Dodgers game since 2017, succeeding the legendary Vin Scully.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorThere’s a new regular Joe calling baseball games on Fox.Joe Davis, a veteran sportscaster who has been known on the West Coast for calling Los Angeles Dodger games and as a Fox Sports regular, will take over as the lead play-by-play announcer for Fox Sports’ Major League Baseball coverage. He succeeds Joe Buck, the longtime Fox baseball and football announcer who has moved to ESPN to work on “Monday Night Football.” Davis will join John Smoltz in the network’s lead baseball booth.“If you had asked me when I was 10 what I wanted to do when I grew up, I would’ve told you ‘Call the World Series.’ So when I say this is a dream-come-true, I really mean it,” said Davis, in a statement.  Davis and Smoltz, along with reporters Tom Verducci and Ken Rosenthal, are expected to call Fox’s coverage of the 2022 MLB All-Star Game, MLB at Field of Dreams Game and the MLB post-season Postseason, including its 25th Fall Classic.

football and college basketball. He previously worked at ESPN for two years. He called the 2013 Poinsettia Bowl, becoming the youngest person to ever announce a bowl game for ESPN at 25.Brad Zager, the President of Production/Operations and Executive Producer of Fox Sports, certainly wasn’t expecting to name a new baseball announcer two months ago, but unprecedented movement among top announcers has allowed Davis a chance to move into the lead role.“We felt extremely confident in a very short amount of time once the reality set in that Joe Buck was leaving that we’ve had the right guy in house being groomed for this for a while now,” Zager said.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorThe United States Football League won’t just kick off its inaugural season on April 16. It will also use the date to launch a new behind-the-scenes docuseries aimed at getting fans more interested in its spring football efforts.“United By Football,” a 13-episode documentary series produced by the league, NFL Films and Fox Sports, will try to give fans a feel for what happens as cadre of hopeful athletes compete in the USFL, a new league controlled by Fox that will have its games broadcast on both the Fox and NBC broadcast networks.

On Thursday last week, Fox Sports presenter Megan Barnard’s personal life was made devastatingly public following a leaked  WhasApp audio, which allegedly contained sexist and homophobic slurs made against her by former colleague Tom Morris. The incident showed that homophobia and sexism is still extremely rampant in the sports industry and in the broader mainstream culture.Morris was sacked on Friday from Fox Sports due to the “unacceptable” remarks which were shared widely on social media. Morris took to to apologise, admitting he had demonstrated “disgusting and disgraceful” behaviour.   A post shared by Megan Barnard (@megan__barnard)“I have been overwhelmed by the amount of support I have received over the past few days in response to the comments about me in the media,” Barnard, who is currently in New Zealand anchoring coverage of the ICC Women’s World Cup, wrote on Instagram.

Megan Barnard, a reporter for Fox Sports, was the victim of insensitive comments made by one of her colleagues, Tom Morris. The comments went public via a leaked video, and Tom was sacked from his position at the network after an investigation into the situation. “Our culture at Fox Sports is based on a respectful, inclusive environment and a fair go for all,” Fox Sports’ executive director said. “While Tom’s journalism has made a valuable contribution to Fox Sports over the past seven years, the message we became aware of yesterday crossed the line. The bottom line is we are committed to a work environment where everyone can come to work in the knowledge that they are safe, respected and valued.”

ESPN confirmed Wednesday that it has signed longtime Fox broadcasters Joe Buck and Troy Aikman to multi-year deals, securing their roles as the new voices of the network’s Monday Night Football. The deal takes effect with the upcoming season, which will mark the pair’s 21st season in the booth together — the first 20 years at Fox.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterThe bargaining standoff between Major League Baseball and its players that led to last week’s cancellation of Opening Day is a particularly bitter pill to swallow for the local and national outlets that bring games to their most ardent fans — networks that already have experienced two seasons of COVID-driven disruptions.On March 1, MLB took the dramatic step of tabling Opening Day games and activities set for March 31. It also canceled other early games for the 2022 season. The cancellations affect programming and advertising plans for baseball TV partners including ESPN, Turner Sports, Fox Sports, Sinclair Broadcast Group and NBC Sports Regional Networks and team channels like the Yankees’ YES Network and the Dodgers’ Spectrum SportsNet LA.

Naman Ramachandran Shane Warne, legendary former Australian cricket player and television commentator, died of a suspected heart attack on Friday. He was 52. Warne’s management company MPC Entertainment said that he was found unresponsive in his villa in Koh Samui, Thailand.“It is with great sadness we advise that Shane Keith Warne passed away of a suspected heart attack,” MPC said in a statement.