ESPN’s Maria Taylor has broken her silence over the drama at ESPN involving Rachel Nichols.
Taylor posted on Twitter Wednesday evening about overcoming the “dark times” she has had to endure over her career without addressing Nichols or ESPN directly.
It marked the first public comments from Taylor since the New York Times reported on Sunday of a leaked audio of Nichols suggesting Taylor was getting the “NBA Countdown” hosting job because the network felt pressure to add more diversity to its programs.
Until Wednesday, Nichols had been the only one to address the issue, opening Monday’s “The Jump” with an apology to her co-workers, specifically Taylor.
ESPN canceled Tuesday’s episode of “The Jump” and replaced Nichols with fellow sideline reporter Malika Andrews on Tuesday’s “NBA Countdown” prior to Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
Nichols and her show, “The Jump,” was back on the air on Wednesday.
Per the Times report, Nichols and Taylor have not interacted with one another in the last year despite working on the same show. Nichols, a sideline reporter for NBA Countdown, has taped all of her interviews for the show over the last year.
Prior to the start of the NBA postseason, ESPN threatened that all sideline reporter segments would be taped if Taylor and Nichols continued to not interact.
This caused backlash from Taylor and the rest of the show, who believed Nichols should have been disciplined for her comments but never was.
The drama within ESPN comes as Taylor’s contract is set to expire this month during the NBA Finals. According to the New York Post, Taylor is seeking “Stephen A. Smith” money, which would earn her near $8 million annually.
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