« I come to this public disclosure with embarrassment, trepidation and a feeling of having let others I care about down, » Skipper said in a statement.
John Skipper has resigned from his top position at ESPN and co-chairmanship of the Disney Media Networks. Skipper had recently signed a contract extending his leadership to 2021.
« Today I have resigned from my duties as President of ESPN, » Skipper said in a statement released on Monday. « I have had a wonderful career at the Walt Disney Company and am grateful for the many opportunities and friendships. »
« I have struggled for many years with a substance addiction. I have decided that the most important thing I can do right now is to take care of my problem, » he said.
George Bodenheimer, Skipper’s predecessor at ESPN who was president from 1998-2011, will take over as acting chairman of the company for the next 90 days.
« I’ve stayed in close contact with John, and I believe in the direction he’s taking ESPN, » said Bodenheimer. « He’s assembled an outstanding leadership team — many of whom I know very well — and I am extremely confident we will work together effectively to move ESPN forward during this transition. »
The company made news earlier this year after SportsCenter anchor Jemele Hill called President Trump a « white supremacist » in a tweet. Trump responded to the comment on Twitter, calling on ESPN to « apologize for untruth » and claiming the network « is paying a really big price for its politics (and bad programming). People are dumping it in RECORD numbers. »
As NPR’s Domenico Montanaro reported, there’s evidence that ESPN is losing subscribers not because of politics but for other reasons.
