ESPN cancels controversial new ‘Barstool’ show after a single episode

Dan “Big Cat” Katz (left) and PFT Commenter (right), with guest Scott Van Pelt.ESPN

• ESPN President John Skipper took personal responsibility for the controversial new show.
• Skipper said he thought the show would be able to distance itself from Barstool Sports.
• The show came under fire when ESPN host Sam Ponder showed how she had been attacked by the website.

ESPN has canceled their new late-night comedy show, “Barstool Van Talk,” after just one episode.

ESPN President John Skipper took responsibility for the show in a statement announcing the cancellation, noting that he thought it could distance itself from its roots, the controversial male-centric sports website, “Barstool Sports.”

“Effective immediately, I am cancelling Barstool Van Talk,” Skipper wrote in a statement. “While we had approval on the content of the show, I erred in assuming we could distance our efforts from the Barstool site and its content.”

The show was hosted by Dan “Big Cat” Katz and PFT Commenter, two members of the Barstool community who are also the hosts of the wildly popular sports podcast, “Pardon My Take.”

Skipper added that ESPN appreciated “the efforts of Big Cat and PFT Commenter,” noting that they “delivered the show they promised.”

The collaboration between ESPN and the Barstool hosts raised eyebrows when it was first announced due to the sites content that is often viewed as misogynistic. However, the controversy grew in the days leading up to the show when Sam Ponder, the host of ESPN’s “Sunday NFL Countdown” sarcastically welcomed the new show and pointed out how she had been a victim of the website’s attacks in the past.

The hosts of the show issued a statement of their own, saying they were “disappointed” in the show being canceled.

Twitter/Pardon My Take