{"id":2210178,"date":"2024-03-31T17:22:02","date_gmt":"2024-03-31T21:22:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/interview-former-espn-anchor-sage-steele-talks-getting-canceled-after-vax-comments-surge-of-support-launch-of-her-new-show\/"},"modified":"2024-03-31T17:22:44","modified_gmt":"2024-03-31T21:22:44","slug":"interview-former-espn-anchor-sage-steele-talks-getting-canceled-after-vax-comments-surge-of-support-launch-of-her-new-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/interview-former-espn-anchor-sage-steele-talks-getting-canceled-after-vax-comments-surge-of-support-launch-of-her-new-show\/","title":{"rendered":"EXCLUSIVE: Sage Steele Discusses Facing Backlash, Receiving Support, and Unveiling Her New Show"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Finterview-former-espn-anchor-sage-steele-talks-getting-canceled-after-vax-comments-surge-of-support-launch-of-her-new-show%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2210178&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Former ESPN anchor Sage Steele discusses her battle\u2064 with the \u2064network on vaccine mandates and shares insights on her new show in an interview with \u200dDaily Wire. Steele details her disagreements with ESPN, emphasizing her \u2064stand for freedom of speech and diversity of thought. She delves \u200cinto the challenges she faced and her excitement about hosting &#8220;The Sage Steele\u2062 Show.&#8221; In an\u2064 interview with the Daily Wire, ex-ESPN anchor Sage Steele talks about her ordeal with ESPN regarding vaccine mandates. She also reveals her excitement about\u200d hosting her \u2062new \u2063show,\u2064 emphasizing her commitment to freedom of speech and diversity of thought. Steele shares her challenges and the journey leading up to &#8220;The Sage Steele Show.&#8221;  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The following is an edited transcript of an interview between Daily Wire Editor-in-Chief and Morning Wire co-host John Bickley and former ESPN SportsCenter anchor Sage Steele on her battle with the network over vaccine mandates and her plans for the future. Listen to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/podcasts\/morning-wire\/sidelines-to-spotlight-sage-steele-s-new-chapter-sunday-extra\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">full interview here<\/a>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><b>JOHN:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">  Joining us now to discuss her journey from ESPN SportsCenter anchor to \u201ccanceled\u201d to now host of her own show is Sage Steele. Sage, thank you so much for joining us.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>SAGE: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Thank you for having me.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>JOHN:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">  You\u2019ve now launched \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/bill-maher-launches-new-podcast-network-hires-conservative-as-his-first-host\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Sage Steele Show<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">,\u201d which we\u2019d like to ask you about, but let\u2019s start with you parting ways with Disney and ESPN. For those who haven\u2019t tracked that sequence of events, can you tell us exactly what happened there?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>SAGE:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">  That\u2019s a big, long answer. It was almost a two year process to be honest with you. I was on a podcast on a day off, giving my opinions and views on my own experiences and things that were happening at that time. That was in September or October of 2021. I was suspended for it, punished, silenced, and assignments were taken away from me and I was told that if I didn\u2019t apologize publicly, I would lose my job.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Listen, there were years and years leading up to the point where I spoke differently from others. I didn\u2019t follow the same narrative. I decided to stand up only because of the hypocrisy I saw on the other side where all of my peers were able to go on the network whenever they wanted and say what they wanted [because it was the accepted narrative], even if it had nothing to do with sports on ESPN platforms. And of course, I\u2019d lived a lot of it behind the scenes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Then, once you\u2019re punished, at some point you have a decision to make. For me, I knew that it was enough. I also knew it was bigger than me, and that\u2019s kind of what was happening throughout society in America \u2014 where if you don\u2019t follow a certain narrative, then you\u2019re silenced and punished and canceled. Also, once you get canceled so many times, it\u2019s easier to say, \u201cWait a minute.\u201d So I took a stand and did something I never thought I\u2019d do, which is file a lawsuit against the company that I loved and ended up working for, for almost 17 years. It broke my heart, but I know it was the right thing because it\u2019s truly about standing up for yourself and others and for freedom of speech.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>JOHN:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">  Now, vaccines played a central role in your <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/longtime-espn-anchor-who-criticized-covid-mandates-leaving-network-to-exercise-first-amendment-rights\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">split with ESPN<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, correct? Can you explain that for us?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>SAGE:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">  Yes. So at Disney, of course ESPN is owned by Disney, we were required to be fully vaccinated by September 30, 2021. I waited until literally the very last day. I was devastated about it and didn\u2019t agree with being forced. There\u2019s a difference between the vaccine and the vaccine mandate. I had an issue with the mandate because I wasn\u2019t comfortable with the vaccine yet. I just wanted more time for more research to be done. I\u2019d done my homework and I think the average is six to nine years for the FDA to approve a vaccine. And this was shoved out there pretty quickly as we know. It became super political on both sides and I just didn\u2019t feel comfortable with doing it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">So, I actually went onto that podcast that day directly from getting the shot. I was pretty emotional, probably, and was running a little bit hot, but I was pretty measured with my comments. And I basically said, \u201cListen, I just don\u2019t agree that anyone should be forced to do something to their body. I think it\u2019s sick and scary for any company to do that, but I love my job. I need my job, and I complied in order to keep my job.\u201d And that\u2019s what I said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Since then I\u2019ve obviously thought so much about it. If I had said the opposite \u2014 if I had said, \u201cListen, all these anti-vaxxers are being quite selfish, they don\u2019t care about their neighbors or their coworkers or their families, just get it\u201d \u2014\u00a0I would have been celebrated. The other comments I made about race and being biracial and people telling me I should identify as black, even though I\u2019m black and white, if I had said the other idea, I feel like I would have been celebrated. That\u2019s where the hypocrisy was and that\u2019s why I stood up.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>JOHN:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">  I should note for disclosure purposes \u2014 and also because it proved very consequential \u2014 that The Daily Wire <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dhillonlaw.com\/lawsuits\/the-daily-wire-challenges-biden-administration-vaccine-mandate\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">sued the federal government<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">  over its vaccine mandate for big companies. We put ourselves at severe risk by doing so, but <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/we-said-do-not-comply-we-won\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">we won that lawsuit<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. And it\u2019s something that we felt like we had to do. Your story certainly resonates with that move.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>SAGE<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Can I hug you for that? Because it\u2019s been people like you and groups like yours who stand up \u2014 it just meant the world to me. And I have to say, doing it alone \u2014 and I\u2019m a single mother of three kids, high school and college age kids \u2014 it\u2019s not cheap to stand up. It\u2019s scary when you\u2019re on your own and you\u2019re financially responsible for everybody. Along with throwing away the career that I loved, as I was told I was doing. But sometimes it\u2019s bigger than us. And so people like you made me feel not quite as alone. It\u2019s amazing what happens when you do take a stand and step out \u2014 how many thousands, millions of people \u2014 you realize you\u2019re so not alone. There\u2019s such fear and we just can\u2019t lead with that fear anymore.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>JOHN:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">  About that, how have you seen people embrace you? And what\u2019s this next phase in your career?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>SAGE:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">  I cannot tell you how excited I am about what\u2019s next. Being able to have true, deep, genuine conversations, kind of a talk show format, but not an interview, it\u2019s more of a conversation. There\u2019s a huge difference. I\u2019m all about freedom of speech and diversity of thought; that\u2019s what I lead with. Anyone who knows me will back that up. That\u2019s why, when Bill Maher offered me a job while I was on his Club Random podcast, I thought he was joking. And then he did it again. Of all people, Bill Maher is someone with whom I see things completely differently. I\u2019m definitely more conservative; he is definitely far Left. He doesn\u2019t believe in marriage and kids; he\u2019s an atheist and thinks it\u2019s all crazy. And I\u2019m the opposite in every single category. I love that we can sit and talk. Most importantly, he saw where my heart is, which is to truly be accepting of everyone and welcome diverse thoughts. And to give me a show to do that? It\u2019s so much bigger than me. This is about trying to show America that this can exist: We can lead with kindness and be strong in our beliefs. It\u2019s a beautiful thing that Bill Maher saw this controversial conservative, former ESPN star and said, \u201cNo, no, no, I\u2019m going to give her a shot, even though I completely feel differently about huge important issues in our country.\u201d I think it\u2019s a win for everybody and I\u2019m so honored.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>JOHN:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">  During the COVID pandemic, we saw censorship on a level I don\u2019t think we\u2019ve ever seen before, at least not in recent decades. Do you feel like there\u2019s progress being made, or are we still under this heavy-handed censorship complex?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>SAGE:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">  I think there is. Obviously you do this every single day and pay super close attention to it. I\u2019m probably a step back from you, but watching it in a different way as a journalist now, my journalism career is changing and evolving. I feel like there\u2019s progress and to me the biggest reason for it is Elon Musk. I\u2019m so grateful for him taking that huge chance. I don\u2019t care how many billions of dollars you have, that is a risk he has taken. It\u2019s been fascinating to watch him, what he tweets and what he says. I think it gives the majority of America hope because I truly believe that most Americans think like we do \u2014 like we don\u2019t all have to believe the same things, but you must be respectful of everyone\u2019s opinion and their right to have it. So, because of Elon Musk, it is changing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I have seen and read about so many other people taking stands. It\u2019s fascinating to learn what\u2019s going on with Google and all the suppression over the last 12 years with the election process. That stuff\u2019s being exposed. I feel like on the old Twitter, now X, that we would never have been able to hear about that, not as quickly and efficiently and accurately. So, to me, there is progress and we have to continue. I believe there\u2019s a groundswell for people like us who just want all things available for us to review and allow us to make our own decisions. That\u2019s what had been taken away and people didn\u2019t realize it. Now it\u2019s being exposed and that\u2019s the win.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">That\u2019s what I want to talk about on my show with a variety of guests. Yes, some will be athletes, but also people in Hollywood, some politicians, actors, all the above, because I think we probably have a lot more in common than we believe. It doesn\u2019t all have to be political. I want to hear their \u201cwhys\u201d and most importantly though, when it all hits the fan, how do they push through? How do they push through those adverse moments in their lives despite making it all look perfect on TV or on the internet? What I have found is most people believe like us, but they\u2019re fearful \u2014 fearful in Hollywood in particular to speak their truth. So, I hope and pray that I can make people comfortable \u2014 comfortable enough to do that. And then, when people open up and speak openly, I think everybody wins and others realize, \u201cHey, I\u2019m not alone and we\u2019re right to stand up and speak our own truths. It doesn\u2019t have to fit a certain narrative.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>JOHN: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As you mentioned, Bill Maher is far-left on many issues. Is he putting any restrictions on your topics for your show?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>SAGE: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Zero. Nothing. It\u2019s beautiful. I\u2019m so not used to this world. I\u2019m like, \u201cWait, what?\u201d I\u2019m waiting for someone from the Disney offices in Burbank to reach up and cut me off. It\u2019s just a whole new world. Bill and I agree on some of the core issues. That\u2019s what we found out in that podcast I did with him on Club Random \u2014 about immigration, he thinks it\u2019s completely out of control; about transgender, the transgender sports, women\u2019s sports issue, out of control and ridiculous and scary; and of course the vaccine, vaccine mandates, nuts. So those are three core issues that have obviously been so divisive. But again, when you look at my stance on things, how I feel about things based on myself and being a mother and not having a certain platform, and then you look at Bill Maher with his massive platform and his very Left-leaning liberal approach to pretty much everything in life. But it\u2019s a great lesson, that when we are respectful, when we talk and lead with kindness, we realize we actually have a lot more in common. And he\u2019s like, \u201cGo girl. Say what you want, ask what you want, do what you want.\u201d There\u2019s a trust there already, and it\u2019s something I\u2019m so grateful for because I\u2019m not used to that.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>JOHN: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Final question before you go: What have you been surprised by and what are you looking most forward to in this next phase?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>SAGE: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Well, thank you. I was just so shocked and honored that someone on \u201cthe other side of the aisle\u201d saw the need for more conversation, and for Bill Maher to believe that I could be the one. I\u2019ve never been given that kind of platform before. But it\u2019s not about me or Bill; it\u2019s about what has to happen. It does take courage though, right? For someone like Bill to say, \u201cOh, I\u2019m going to go right into these waters and give a voice to someone with whom I feel so differently.\u201d Kudos to him for seeing the big picture beyond what he believes. I am so excited to have these conversations and make them continue. Because if we don\u2019t do this \u2013 I\u2019m not trying to be dramatic \u2013 I believe we lose America and I do believe it\u2019s now or never. So here we go with Club Random and Bill and me and a whole bunch of other guests. I hope you guys take a chance and listen.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>JOHN: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We certainly will. Sage, thank you so much for joining us. We\u2019d love to talk to you again.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>SAGE:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">  I would love to. I listen to y\u2019all every morning. So thank you.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>JOHN:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">  That\u2019s certainly nice to hear. Thanks again for coming on.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>SAGE:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">  Thank you. God bless.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Listen to the full Morning Wire interview <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/podcasts\/morning-wire\/sidelines-to-spotlight-sage-steele-s-new-chapter-sunday-extra\">here<\/a>.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here is a condensed version of the interview transcript where Daily Wire&#8217;s John Bickley speaks with ex-ESPN anchor Sage Steele about her vaccine mandate conflict with the network and her future endeavors. Tune in for the complete conversation. John welcomes Sage to delve into her experiences<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":276,"featured_media":2210179,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/dw-wp-production.imgix.net\/2024\/03\/GettyImages-2000210842.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[541],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2210178","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-daily-wire"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/dw-wp-production.imgix.net\/2024\/03\/GettyImages-2000210842.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2210178","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/276"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2210178"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2210178\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2210179"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2210178"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2210178"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2210178"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}