In a surprising turn of events, Sage Steele has departed from ESPN and has chosen to share her experiences publicly.
During an interview on SiriusXM’s The Megyn Kelly Show, the former ESPN host revealed an unsettling encounter with the renowned broadcaster Barbara Walters, who passed away at the age of 93 last December.
Steele alleges that Walters physically assaulted her backstage at The View following a discussion on former President Barack Obama.
“It was Barbara, Whoopi [Goldberg], and myself in the dark greenroom on the side,” Steele recalled. “I was probably four feet from the wall and the trash can, and Barbara was standing over here in front of me, and she just started to back up towards me and looked at me and got close and elbowed me, and it pushed me back into the wall and the trash can.”
The former ESPN host continued, “I was like, ‘What did [she] just do to me? This 140-year-old woman just tried to like tackle me.’”
According to Steele, she was consoled by Goldberg following the incident.
“Some of the producers saw it,” Steele added. “Whoopi saw it, and she was like, ‘Come here.’ And she was great. And she pulled me aside in her little area, and she’s like, ‘Don’t you let her do it.’ I’m like, am I in a movie right now? One of the legends in this industry just tried to beat me up!”
Previously, Steele had discussed her problems with Walters on Uncut with Jay Cutler.
During the conversation, she mentioned an alleged incident on The View where Walters expressed displeasure towards Steele for identifying as biracial in relation to Obama’s decision to identify as Black exclusively. Steele later stated that she was suspended by ESPN for comments made on Cutler’s podcast.
Afterward, she filed a lawsuit against ESPN and its parent company Disney for breach of contract. Now, the lawsuit has been resolved, and Steele has officially parted ways with the network.
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