Final remaining member of beloved ESPN show speaks out on losing two co-hosts to layoffs - “It sucks”
ESPN, just weeks before the start of NFL training camp, is undergoing a radical reshifting of its sports talk roster. In a seemingly unprecedented scale, the network has cut ties with about 20 analysts and reporters, including two of the three members of the "Keyshawn, JWill & Max" show.
Jay Williams, the last remaining member of the hosting described his heartbreak via Dov Kleiman on Twitter:
"It sucks. ... We’ve all gone through things where friends have lost jobs. It stinks. ... Key has been my boy since the first day that I met him. ... I fell in love with a guy who is just unapologetically him all the time. ... Max and I still laugh about a lot of random things, and Max is my boy. ... My vocabulary is off the charts because of Uncle Max."
The show featured former Dallas Cowboys star Keyshawn Johnson and former "First Take" co-host Max Kellerman sitting alongside Jay Williams to discuss all things sports. The show was active on social media and on the ESPN network, coming around somewhat due to the falling out between Stephen A. Smith and Kellerman on "First Take."
It is unclear what Williams' part will be with the network going forward, although he has since at least made an appearance on "First Take" with Smith to argue about football.
Who was laid off from ESPN?
According to Bro Bible, Todd McShay, Matt Hasselbeck, LaPhonso Ellis, Nick Friedell, Max Kellerman, David Pollack, Andre Ward, Doug Kezirian, Ashley Brewer, Jordan Cornette, Steve Young, Joon Lee, Keyshawn Johnson, Jeff Van Gundy, Jalen Rose, Gene Wojciechowski and Jason Fitz were all laid off by ESPN.
Today I join the many hard-working colleagues who have been laid off.
Heartbreaking-but 27 years at ESPN was a good run.
So grateful for a 38 yr career!
Longevity for a woman in this business is something I’m especially proud of.
Next step- a project that gives back. ❤️ https://t.co/URitozP0LQ
Suzy Kolber was also laid off and might have been the longest-tenured person on the list at 27 years. In total, she worked in sports broadcasting for 38 years and hinted that she might be essentially retiring as a result of the news.
Another notable person laid off was former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Steve Young. At 61 years old, it is unclear what the future holds for him. At this point, he could hang up the headset once and for all or he could find a place to hunker down.
There’s no shot all four survived the ESPN layoffs smh 📉 https://t.co/746IvU3mvj
One thing that many fans are bracing for is that at least some of the media personas on the list will be either diving headfirst into the podcast game for the first time or leaning much harder into it.