Former ESPN columnist and SportsCenter host Jemele Hill made her return to ESPN’s Around the Horn on Thursday, joining former Outside the Lines host Kate Fagan. Hill’s appearance marked her first time back on the network since being let go in 2018 after several conflicts with management over her controversial comments, particularly those aimed at President Donald Trump and his supporters.
When host Tony Reali introduced Hill, she made a lighthearted joke about being “uncanceled,” referencing her departure from ESPN. However, it was later in the show that Hill fully addressed her past issues.
During a segment where the panel discussed old tweets from Hill and Fagan, Hill joked nervously about Reali digging into her past social media history. “I got a little bit nervous when I saw you were pulling up our tweets,” she laughed. “I just came back, man!”
Hill’s final years at ESPN were marked by bold statements on Twitter, including calling Trump a “white supremacist,” which prompted a response from the president. She also advocated for NFL fans to boycott Dallas Cowboys sponsors over team owner Jerry Jones’ comments regarding players kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality.
Since leaving ESPN, Hill has contributed to The Atlantic, Spotify, iHeartMedia, and Meadowlark Media. In recent years, she also worked with ESPN as a co-producer for a documentary series about Colin Kaepernick, directed by Spike Lee.
