Britt McHenry was a correspondent at ESPN for a little over three years before she was let go from the network as part of their series of massive layoffs at the end of April. Now, almost two months after she was let go, McHenry suggested on Twitter that politics played a role in her being fired from the "Worldwide Leader in Sports" because of her openly conservative views.
What sparked this story?
After Britt McHenry was let go by ESPN she said that she was "grateful" for her time at the network and that she would always "cherish" the friendships that she made while there.
However, it now seems that she may have a different view. Clay Travis, a reporter and the founder of independent sports site Outkick the Coverage wrote an article called "ESPN Says They Aren't Liberal Because Hank Williams, Jr. Sings MNF Open."
This article was written in response to an article by John Ourand of SportsBusiness Daily titled "ESPN executive calls out competitor for giving voice to claims of liberal bias." In response to Clay Travis' tweet of his article, McHenry tweeted, "I mean I've been openly Conservative....look how that ended up." McHenry deleted her tweet, but not before blog site The Big Lead grabbed a screenshot of it to post. In response to the reaction she provoked, McHenry did tweet out two responses:
Need to take my opinions & truth to a place & blog that actually gets money for the clicks. I replied to a friend. Take it easy, Twitter
— Britt McHenry (@BrittMcHenry) June 27, 2017
Stay true to what you believe in--positive or negative, it's still a reaction. Want the truth from me, come to my social media. ♥️you
— Britt McHenry (@BrittMcHenry) June 27, 2017
Who is Britt McHenry?
Prior to Britt McHenry being hired by ESPN she worked as a sports reporter and fill-in anchor for WJLA-TV and its sister station NewsChannel 8 in Washington D.C.
She also spent a few weeks working as a dugout reporter on telecasts for the San Diego Padres. During her time at ESPN, McHenry was a bureau reporter based in Washington D.C., the nation's capital. From there she served as a correspondent for a number of shows on ESPN, including "Baseball Tonight," "NFL Live," "Outside the Lines," and "SportsCenter." Since being laid off by ESPN, McHenry is still searching for a new job.
As the New York Post pointed out, McHenry has not been shy about her political views. She attended a Republican event in December and even posted a picture of herself with House Speaker Paul Ryan on Instagram, which she later deleted. In January, she sent out a tweet openly supporting President Donald Trump's nomination of Neil Gorsuch for the Supreme Court. In March, she wrote a piece on her Tumblr supporting the decision by U.S. Soccer to require members of the national teams to stand up during the national anthem.
