Dave Portnoy has stated that his perceived "beef" with Bill Simmons has ended, addressing the matter in connection with his new book, "Cancel Me If You Can." Portnoy also denied that the hiring of sports host Ryen Russillo from The Ringer in 2025 was linked to his past grievances with Simmons.
"Am I still beefing with Simmons? No," Portnoy said in a clip shared on the "Barstool Yak" TikTok account on Wednesday. He added that the hiring of Russillo was purely a business decision. "We were told he was available on the market and we were interested."
Russillo, who spent six years at The Ringer and was a regular on "The Bill Simmons Podcast," began hosting "The Ryan Russillo Show" with Barstool Sports in November 2025. He was joined by former Ringer producers Steve Ceruti and Kyle Crichton, who is also Simmons' nephew.
In his book, released on June 30, 2026, Portnoy detailed how Simmons repeatedly declined interview requests from Barstool Sports during the early days of the company, when it operated as a newspaper distributed in Boston. Portnoy, who founded Barstool Sports in Boston in 2003, wrote that Simmons was a prominent figure for those wanting to appear knowledgeable about the city, alongside actors Ben Affleck and Matt Damon.
"When I launched Barstool Sports, Bill Simmons was the man; the best writer I had ever read," Portnoy wrote. "His writing style certainly influenced the early days of Barstool. I eventually reached out to interview him for the paper and he blew me off a few times. And by a few times I mean like probably ten times."
Portnoy recounted that after multiple attempts, Simmons eventually responded, asking for questions to be submitted. However, Simmons then canceled the interview, stating he did not want to engage in additional media. Portnoy expressed his frustration at the time, particularly as Simmons had recently moved from ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" to ESPN. He wrote that while he may have been harsh in his reaction, the experience lowered Simmons' standing in his estimation.
"The one thing that I always said about Simmons back then and still maintain now is that he is definitely a far better writer than I am. But there is nobody on earth who would rather have a beer with him than have a beer with me," Portnoy wrote, noting he had never met Simmons but believed his assessment of their respective public appeal was accurate.
Portnoy's book also states that he and Russillo first met approximately two decades prior through mutual acquaintance Todd McShay, a former ESPN draft analyst now with The Ringer. At the time, McShay and Russillo were working at a small radio station that Portnoy was operating.