According to Andrew Marchand, Michelle Beadle may not be shedding any tears over her departure from ESPN’s troubled morning show Get Up! He wrote in The New York Post over the weekend that Beadle refused multiple overtures to join the show before it launched.
Michelle Beadle never really wanted to do “Get Up!” — ESPN’s morning talk show that so far has been an epic failure.
Former ESPN President John Skipper kept offering Beadle the job to team with Mike Greenberg, and Beadle kept saying no, according to sources. But Skipper continued to up the ante until, at $5 million a year, Beadle couldn’t say no anymore.
ESPN announced Beadle’s departure from Get Up! last week as part of a Friday afternoon news dump. She will return to LA to host NBA Countdown and receives two more years on her current deal. The move came only a day after Beadle announced that she would be boycotting both NFL and college football in the wake of Urban Meyer hanging onto his job at Ohio State.
Beadle’s position is that by not firing Meyer in the wake of his alleged efforts to cover up the domestic abuse allegations against a former assistant coach, football is continuing to alienate its female fans. Her position, understandable or not, is a problem for ESPN, as the network prepares to roll out a football-focused reboot of Get Up! for the fall.
Marchand did say in his column that Beadle didn’t necessarily have to go as a result of her comments, but her relationship with co-host Mike Greenberg made it hard to justify trying to make things work.
The pairing of Beadle with Greenberg was one of Skipper’s final gifts during his largely regrettable tenure at the network. But anyone who knows anything about Greenberg or Beadle knew it wouldn’t work. They are too different in so many ways. They did not look like they enjoyed being on set together — and it was even less enjoyable to most viewers.
The bottom line, though, is that if Beadle and Greenberg had clicked, this would not be happening.
If ESPN is planning to replace Beadle with a new full time co-host, it won’t happen immediately. Maria Taylor, Laura Rutledge, Dianna Russini and Jen Lada will take turns serving as part time co-hosts this fall.
That will leave Greenberg to drive Get Up! on his own. Jalen Rose will remain in his role on the show, and as previously announced, a rotating selection of college football and NFL experts will join the show throughout the season.
