ESPN tried to bring on another black host to fill in for Jemele Hill on “The Six,” but her co-host, Michael Smith, and at least two other black co-workers refused to let it happen, according to a Thursday report from ThinkProgress.
Earlier this week Hill, fired off a series of tweets in which she called Donald Trump a white supremacist, bringing some considerable heat towards the sports network. ESPN reportedly tried to find another African American host to replace Hill for her show on Wednesday, ThinkProgress reports, citing “two sources familiar with the situation.”
But after ESPN’s Michael Eaves and Elle Duncan both refused to stand in, Hill went on the air as usual.
(Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Paley Center for Media)
However, multiple ESPN employees have since denied the report from ThinkProgress.
“We never asked any other anchors to do last night’s show. Period,” ESPN spokesman Josh Krulewitz told ThinkProgress via email after their report was published on Thursday. (RELATED: ESPN Host Jemele Hill Not Backing Down On Trump Comments)
Rob King, the senior vice president for news and information at SportsCenter, didn’t deny the network’s attempt to find a replacement, but claimed that those reporting on the matter don’t have the “full picture.”
“Yesterday was a hard and unusual day, with a number of people interpreting the day without a full picture that happened,” King said. “In the end, ultimately, Michael and Jemele appearing on the show last night and doing the show the way they did is the outcome we always desired.”
ESPN addressed Hill’s comments about the president in a statement released earlier this week, but made no indication that she was being disciplined by the network. (RELATED: Colin Kaepernick Voices Support For ESPN Host Who Called Trump Racist)
Hill issued a statement of her own late Wednesday night with regards to her comments and it certainly wasn’t an apology.
“My comments on Twitter expressed my personal beliefs. My regret is that my comments and the public way I made them painted ESPN in an unfair light. My respect for the company and my colleagues remains unconditional,” the statement read.
WATCH THE WHOLE HILL VS. TRUMP SAGA UNFOLD RIGHT HERE ON THE DAILY CALLER: