Linda Cohn Details Alleged Bullying, Pay Cut at ESPN

Former ESPN anchor Linda Cohn has detailed a difficult final decade of her 34-year tenure at the sports broadcasting giant, alleging that she was subjected to bullying by former ESPN president John Skipper and experienced an 80% pay cut.

Cohn, who departed ESPN in June, shared her experiences on "The Sage Steele Show," describing her final years as an "unceremonious experience." She claimed that Skipper, who led ESPN from 2012 until his resignation in December 2017, bullied her. Cohn recounted a 2017 phone call where Skipper allegedly yelled at her and suspended her following remarks she made about ESPN after a round of layoffs. At the time, Cohn had commented on ESPN's situation during an interview with 77 WABC's Sid Rosenberg.

"He was yelling at me [and] bullying me," Cohn stated, recalling the incident. "I go, ‘John, what’s going on?’ I really had no idea what he was talking about. I couldn’t believe it. So, I was suspended for whatever. ‘Don’t come in.’ I’m like ‘Okay, I won’t come in.’ But I was really upset. I was close to tears. I don’t like being bullied, and I definitely don’t like being bullied for no reason."

Skipper resigned from his position citing "substance addiction." In a subsequent interview with The Hollywood Reporter in 2018, he revealed that his addiction was to cocaine and that his resignation followed an attempted extortion by someone from whom he had purchased the drug.

Cohn also detailed a significant financial reduction in her final year with the company. She stated that her salary was cut by 80% when ESPN closed its Los Angeles studio. This move, which impacted "SportsCenter," relocated the program to Bristol, Connecticut. Cohn mentioned that her colleagues were given only six weeks' notice about the studio's closure.

"So I accepted their 80 percent pay cut and I said, ‘Hey let me do some events for you’... I actually signed a deal that was 15 events for appearances for ESPN," Cohn explained. "Loyalty doesn’t pay because I’ll tell you something... I ended up doing about five events. I was like out of sight, out of mind."

Cohn, who felt "pushed out" by ESPN, left when her contract expired. She also claimed that her suggestions for off-camera roles, such as becoming a company ambassador, were ignored. She described moments of distress, stating she cried in the bathroom due to colleagues who made her "feel like crap" on-air.

Prior to her departure, Cohn noted that ESPN initially planned to issue a press release about her leaving before offering her a proper on-air farewell. Following her exit, Cohn launched her own sports talk show, "The Linda Cohn Show," on YouTube in July, where she feels she can speak freely without restrictions.

Cohn holds the record for anchoring the most editions of "SportsCenter" in ESPN history. ESPN declined to comment when reached by The Post.