Sage Steele Claims ESPN Forced Her to Stick to Scripted Q&A with Biden

Former ESPN anchor Sage Steele has shared insights into her interview with President Joe Biden during her tenure with the network in 2021, revealing to Fox News that network executives ensured she adhered to “every word” of the script during her conversation with the president.

Steele, who left ESPN after criticizing its COVID vaccine mandate, recounted that her noteworthy interview with Biden in March 2021 was meticulously orchestrated by the network’s management. She stated she was instructed “not to deviate” from the prepared questions.

The interview centered on the topic of sports returning to normalcy post-COVID lockdowns, and addressed concerns regarding athletes and fans hesitancy toward receiving the COVID shot, as reported by Fox News. Throughout the interview, Biden reiterated his urging for Americans to “follow the science” and get vaccinated.

“It was very much ‘This is what you will ask. This is how you will say it. No follow-ups, no follow-ups. Next,’” Steele recalled. “Every single question was scripted, gone over dozens of times by many editors and executives.”

The interview garnered attention when Biden voiced support for the MLB All-Star Game boycott of Atlanta following the passing of a voter ID law by Republicans in Georgia. Biden labeled the law as “Jim Crow on steroids,” asserting it aimed at preventing working-class and ordinary people from voting. Despite criticism from Biden and other Democrats, early voting in Georgia in 2022 reached record highs, with the state witnessing the largest voter turnout in the South during the midterms.

Steele expressed uncertainty regarding whether ESPN forwarded the questions to the White House prior to the interview. She described her interaction with the then-78-year-old president as “heartbreaking,” citing concerns about his mental acuity. Steele recounted an instance when, before the interview began, she overheard Biden asking about the purpose of the interview and inquiring about her name.

Having recently launched her podcast, “The Sage Steele Show,” on Bill Maher’s platform, Steele emphasized the significance of Maher’s outreach to her as a “controversial conservative.”