Latest news with #KeithOlbermann
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Joy Reid: How MSNBC Tried to Silence Me Before Firing
MSNBC tried to stop Joy Reid from expressing herself on social media before ultimately firing her from its primetime lineup. Her MSNBC bosses were 'horrified' by the way she used social media platforms like Twitter, she told Katie Couric on her new podcast Monday. 'And anytime I would tweet anything, I would get calls—I would get, 'Please get off Twitter, we hate it.'' 'They just don't like that it pulls their talent and their reporters out of their control because now you're not running what you're tweeting through Standards and Practices,' Reid continued. 'It's giving your personality directly to the audience, which they don't like because it's no longer managed and curated by them.' Reid is gearing up to launch her YouTube show and podcast 'The Joy Reid Show' on June 9, but she got candid about her time at MSNBC a week in advance during a preview conversation with Couric, which she also uploaded to YouTube after hosting the livestream on her website. Her comments come after MSNBC canceled Reid's primetime show The ReidOut without explanation in February, as part of a network shakeup following Donald Trump's election win that resulted in the exodus of several of the network's non-white anchors. Former MSNBC host Keith Olbermann characterized the moves as 'an MSNBC purge so brutally racist it makes you think it was done by [Elon] Musk.' Reid opened up about The ReidOut's end when Couric asked her what 'really happened' on Monday. 'I've been asked this so many times,' she told Couric. 'And people think that I'm just saying it to B.S., but I'm being honest with you—I don't know.' Just before she found out the news, Reid said, 'We were emailing back and forth with the PR department, praising our win for the NAACP Image Award.' 'It wasn't ratings' that got the show canceled, Reid went on, 'because we had just had a ratings meeting a couple of weeks before that talking about the fact that our show… other than Rachel Maddow, we were down the least' after Trump's election win. The Daily Beast reported in March that Reid's ratings were actually increasing when she was let go. 'We were just told that we were doing… that we were holding on pretty well,' she continued. 'And then, you know, it's not like the ratings have gotten better since I've been gone.' Reid also said the way she was told that her show was canceled felt 'scripted' and 'just very perfunctory.' 'I wasn't told 'The ratings were terrible,' 'It's something you did,' 'You tweeted a terrible thing,'' she said, adding that she was already being 'extra careful' online at the time, since 'there was a real anxiety about social media.' Reid she doesn't necessarily think her show was canceled because of her outspoken criticism of Trump, as many of her fans have speculated—but she said there's one reason she's not completely ruling it out. 'I'm a Black woman doing the thing. You know what I mean? And so I'm not different' from MSNBC hosts and Trump critics Rachel Maddow or Nicole Wallace, but 'I think that there's a difference for Trump in hearing the kinds of criticisms, specifically, out of a Black woman. It bothers him in a way it doesn't bother him like anything else.' 'There's a fear of him,' she also said, 'We're seeing it everywhere.'
Daily Mail
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Ex-ESPN star Keith Olbermann claims to know clue that proves Elon Musk's infamous gesture was a Nazi 'salute'
Keith Olbermann, the erstwhile MSNBC and ESPN SportsCenter host, is doubling down on his claim that Elon Musk delivered a Nazi salute at a January rally for President Donald Trump. Although Musk has dismissed such accusations as 'dirty tricks,' Olbermann and other liberal pundits have attacked Trump's biggest donor over the incident. The frequently analyzed tape shows Musk addressing the crowd at the Capital One Arena in Washington on January 20. Before stepping away from the podium at the end of his speech, he placed his right hand over his heart and then extended his arm outward with his palm facing downward and his fingers clutched together. 'My heart goes out to you,' he told the crowd celebrating Trump's electoral win over Kamala Harris. 'It is thanks to you that the future of civilization is assured.' That footage has since been studied like the Zapruder film or Maradona's 'Hand of God' goal, with liberals and conservatives giving alternate takes in what's become a political Rorschach test. Olbermann's latest comment on the subject came in response to self-described 'former liberal' Brandon Straka, who contrasted Musk's gesture with a similar motion from Democratic New Jersey Senator Corey Booker. On the left: Senator Corey Booker giving a heartfelt, patriotic salute. On the right: Elon Musk personally resurrecting the Third Reich, according to the media. Same gesture. Different political party. Funny how that works. — Brandon Straka #WalkAway (@BrandonStraka) June 1, 2025 The proof, Olbermann claims, is that Musk's fingers were closed when he extended his arm 'On the left: Senator Corey Booker giving a heartfelt, patriotic salute,' Straka began sarcastically. 'On the right: Elon Musk personally resurrecting the Third Reich, according to the media. 'Same gesture. Different political party,' Straka continued, dropping the sarcasm. 'Funny how that works.' Olbermann, the 66-year-old ESPN icon who became a fierce critic of conservatives on MSNBC, disagreed in his own irascible way. In fact, Olbermann thinks he has the clue that proves Musk was indeed doing what some refer to as the 'Roman salute.' 'Musk's hand is closed, fingers together,' Olbermann responded on X. 'That's a salute. Booker's fingers are opened. That's a wave goodbye.' Olbermann then decided to get personal by adding: 'Your brain is devoid of cells. That's an IQ of 27.' And the exchange only went downhill from there as Straka joked about Olbermann having intellectual disabilities. Olbermann was quickly corrected by angry Musk defenders. 'Maybe, and hear me out, neither are Nazi salutes and that's the entire point,' one added. 'Elon Musk's fingers aren't closed or together, and thumb is bent so if that's your argument, try another,' read a different response. At least one person agreed with Olbermann: 'Maybe the difference is one actually looked like a Nazi salute and came from someone who boosts white nationalists weekly.' Musk has faced other accusations of antisemitism, such as in November of 2023, when he reposted a claim on X that Jewish communities hated whites. 'Jewish communities (sic) have been pushing the exact kind of dialectical hatred against whites that they claim to want people to stop using against them,' read a post from a self-described cyber security expert going by 'Eric.' Musk responded: 'You have said the actual truth.' The South African-born billionaire has also been criticized for allegedly boosting the visibility of antisemitic accounts on X.
Daily Mail
29-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Riley Gaines issues challenge to ex-ESPN host after he slammed 'MAGA stooge' over trans athlete fight
Conservative activist Riley Gaines has challenged former ESPN host Keith Olbermann to a race after he hit out at her for her support of Donald Trump. Gaines tied for fifth place with University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas, a biological male, in 2022 while swimming for the University of Kentucky in the 200-yard NCAA freestyle championship. The 25-year-old has since been outspoken against transgender athletes competing in women's sport, haling the president for his 'Keeping Men Out of Women's Sport' executive order earlier this year. This week, Olbermann, the ex-host of both MSNBC's 'Countdown with Keith Olbermann' and ESPN's 'SportsCenter,' took aim at the former collegiate swimmer over her campaigning. Olbermann responded to a Fox News clip of Education Secretary Linda McMahon claiming that Gaines 'would have clearly won' her race if Gaines didn't have to compete against transgender athlete Thomas. '[Riley Gaines] finished 85th in the Olympic Trials,' Olbermann posted on X. 'She finished tied for 5th in the only race including a transgendered athlete. If there had been none she MIGHT have finished tied for 4th, or had 5th place to herself.' Gaines, a 12-time NCAA All-American, fired back at the sports commentator, noting she 'placed 85th at Olympic trials when I was 15/16.' 'I was one of the youngest there,' Gaines explained. 'And I placed 5th *in the nation* in a sport measured in .01s of a second without going a best. Would you say the 5th best college football player is objectively bad at their sport? 'No. You're just a misogynistic pig & an old, deranged man with a terminal case of TDS who can't hold down a job.' She went on to challenge Olbermann to back up his criticism by taking her on in a race for charity, Gaines told Fox Digital. She said that the event would be a 200-yard freestyle at a location of Olbermann's choice sometime before August 31 with proceeds going to a charity of the winner's choosing. Olbermann appeared to accept the challenge, branding the competition a 'brilliant idea.' 'A 66-year old man with an arthritic left knee and chronic stress fractures in the right foot... Somebody you could finally beat!' he taunted in response to the challenge. The heated online tiff comes after Gaines joined many in expressing outrage over a transgender athlete competing in girls' high school track and field in California. AB Hernandez of Jurupa Valley, a biological male, won the women's long jump and triple jump at the California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section Masters Meet last week. Reese Hogan of Crean Lutheran High School, one of the opponents defeated by Hernandez, took the podium following the official ceremony. AB Hernandez of Jurupa Valley is making waves in track and field in contentious fashion The moment took off online, and earned praise from Gaines. In March, Hernandez drew backlash online after winning a triple jump event by three feet. In response to the backlash, Trump blasted California governor Gavin Newsom , who he called 'Newscum,' and called a transgender athlete's sporting domination in the state 'not fair and totally demeaning to women and girls.' 'Please be advised that large scale federal funding will be held back, maybe permanently,' Trump threatened on his Truth Social site. Then, without citing a specific legal basis, Trump wrote that 'I am ordering local authorities, if necessary, to not allow the transitioned person to compete in the State Finals. This is a totally ridiculous situation!!!' Gaines has been vocal in her opposition to allowing trans athletes to compete in women's sport and has dedicated the past two years to campaigning on the issue. She was invited to Trump's address to Congress in March when the president turned his focus to keeping trans athletes out of women's sports. The subject had been a big driving force in his election last November and Trump elected to highlight the story of Payton McNabb, a former high school volleyball player who was left with brain damage after being spiked in the face by a trans opponent, during his speech. Trump had previously surrounded himself with female athletes and activists, including Gaines, at the White House a month earlier to sign an executive order barring trans participation in women's sports. The order uses Title IX, a law against sex discrimination in taxpayer-funded education programs, to ban transgender girls and women from participating in female school sports activities.
Fox News
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Dave Portnoy calls Angel Reese a 'jacka--' for 'jealousy' of Caitlin Clark in response to ESPN analyst
Dave Portnoy will not let anyone say he is a Caitlin Clark fan simply because she is White. In a recent edition of his podcast, ESPN analyst Ryan Clark name-dropped the Barstool Sports founder as someone on the "hate train" of Angel Reese following her spat with Clark over the weekend. Clark said Portnoy, Keith Olbermann and Robert Griffin III have made Reese the "villain" and Clark "heroic." Portnoy posted a video over six minutes long in which he said he "can't believe I'm ranting about this again," responding to Clark. Portnoy made it a point to mention that he is "sure there are some Black people who hate Caitlin just because she's White. I'm sure there are White people who hate Angel just because she's Black." But he is not one of those people, and he believed the Reese hate is warranted. "Caitlin fans have every reason to hate Angel Reese. … Fever fans, Caitlin fans should hate Angel Reese. Angel Reese has been nothing but an instigator, agitator and jacka-- basically for the last couple years," Portnoy said in his video. "Angel Reese has doubled down, tripled down, quadrupled down and has built her persona as Caitlin's rival. … It's one thing after another, after another. … The jealousy that Angel Reese has towards her and has consistently shown makes Caitlin fans hate her. … When you have one player that's constantly poking at you, constantly degrading you, yes, you're going to f---ing hate her." "I'm sick of ESPN making it a race issue," he continued. "You have a superior basketball player who constantly has someone below taking shots at them, won't shut up and then plays the victim. … If [Angel] didn't have Caitlin, nobody would know who she is. If Caitlin didn't have Angel, it would be the same popularity for Caitlin." Clark and Reese got into a mini-scuffle after Clark fouled Reese hard; it was ruled a flagrant. Clark later labeled the foul as a "good take foul," as she didn't want Reese to have a "free two points" underneath the basket. Reese later agreed despite her visible frustrations early on. Clark and Reese have major history going back to the 2023 NCAA women's basketball national championship. Both players downplayed the incident. Both have even said there's no rivalry between them and that it's been driven by the media. Portnoy attended the contest and said Reese "deserved to get booed" after getting upset with Clark. He was also upset with the WNBA's investigation into alleged hate comments directed toward Reese. "Listen, I was at the game. If there was somebody being racist or saying s---, obviously boot them, never let them back," Portnoy said. "I would be stunned beyond belief if that was the case. … The crowd at the Fever game? Little girls, families, ladies, nice crowd. Were we mad when Angel Reese attacked Cailtin Clark for no reason? Yeah. Did we boo her? Yeah. Is it sports? Yeah. "For the WNBA and now the Indiana Fever to issue statements, 'We're investigating,' unless something so preposterous happened that nobody in the stadium saw, there's not an ounce of proof, there's not a video of it, there's [no] camera phone of it, unless something happened, which I know it didn't. For them to acknowledge this and, again, kind of paint Indiana Fever fans, like, by just saying 'We're investigating the hate' … even though it's 100% false, by acknowledging, 'We don't condone hate,' and not seeing that this was an internet rumor founded of complete bulls---, you're lending credence to this." Clark told ESPN's Holly Rowe after the third quarter that there had been "nothing malicious" behind the foul. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Fox News
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Sage Steele calls former ESPN colleague 'classless' over remarks about Robert Griffin III's wife
Print Close By Ryan Morik Published May 20, 2025 It's not a secret that former ESPN colleagues Ryan Clark and Sage Steele aren't the best of friends, but Steele made perhaps her most damning comment about the ex-NFL player to date Tuesday. On the latest edition of his podcast, Clark suggested former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III is "not having conversations at home about what Black women have to endure in this country" considering his wife is White. Clark made the comment while calling out Griffin for boarding "the hate train" after Angel Reese's scuffle with Caitlin Clark over the weekend. Ryan Clark also mentioned Dave Portnoy and former ESPN staffer Keith Olbermann as talking heads who make Reese out to be a "villain" and Clark "heroic." CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON Steele caught wind of Clark's comments. "Another classless, divisive, gross, unnecessary comment from Ryan Clark. But…it's par for the course. We should expect nothing less. Shameful," Steele posted on X. Griffin later said Ryan Clark's comments showed "how low of a person he is." Steele and Ryan Clark have had a beef in the past. Clark has said he had "no issue" with Steele being a conservative, but one of Steele's previous comments about former president Barack Obama "offended" him. As a result, he asked for another host for an ESPN segment. Steele is suing ESPN, and one of her allegations is that Clark refused to work with her because of her political views. CAITLIN CLARK SPEAKS OUT ON WNBA'S PROBE INTO ALLEGED 'HATEFUL COMMENTS' TOWARD ANGEL REESE Steele once said it was "fascinating" that Obama labeled himself as "Black" "considering his Black dad was nowhere to be found, but his white mom and grandma raised him." "Because what I know is this … chemistry is a large part of TV. It's a large part of our ability to be able to entertain. And I didn't want my discomfort with what she said to show on screen," Ryan Clark said. Ryan Clark said it was a one-time thing with Steele, and they were able to "work … in a very cordial way" until she left ESPN. He added they no longer speak, "but I obviously wish her all the best in all her endeavors." Caitlin Clark was assessed a flagrant foul on the play mentioned, and, during an in-game interview, she said it was a "good take foul," a notion Reese later agreed with. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Caitlin Clark's Indiana Fever routed Reese's Chicago Sky, 93-58. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter. Print Close URL
