Maria Taylor Reveals When She Knew She Had to Leave ESPN After Appearing on ‘ManningCast’

Maria Taylor’s tumultuous departure from ESPN helped her realize that she wasn’t defined by those four letters or any other job.

In a TikTok video, the NBC Sports anchor got candid about their public split in 2021 while recounting her appearance on ESPN’s “ManningCast” with Peyton and Eli Manning on Monday.

“So (Monday) night I was on my former employer’s network, let’s talk about it,” Taylor began in a “get ready with me” video on Tuesday, adding that working at ESPN was her “dream job” while she was studying at UGA College.

“I worked at ESPN for 10 years and enjoyed my time there, but the ending was a little turbulent.”

Taylor left ESPN, where she worked from 2013 to 2021, after then-colleague Rachel Nichols made disparaging comments about “diversity” about her in a leaked audio recording that was made public in July 2021. That same month, she joined NBC Sports.

“But then the time came where I had the opportunity to really decide what I wanted in my life moving forward and whether where I was was the best place for me, and as we all know… it’s hard to go through change,” she said.

“But deep down I knew it was time. Honestly, I just needed more opportunities to spend time with my family to start a family, and at the level I was at and the level of work I was doing, I didn’t think I would have time for that. . I still wanted to perform at a very high level, but I just wanted to focus on very important and high-quality activities.

“And I also felt like the relationship had run its course. And it’s so funny because when I was making the final decision, someone made the argument, “Well, if you leave here, you’ll never be on television again—like no one will ever see you again.”

“And I remember saying, ‘I don’t care if anyone sees me again,’ as long as I see the checks coming into my bank account. And at that moment I realized that I was doing something different.

“And to be honest, I also felt it was time for a whole new challenge. I was tired of the same old thing and I just wanted to try something new.”

Taylor joined NBC Sports less than a week after her contract with ESPN expired.

“I will be completely and completely honest,” I cried. I cried for two weeks straight while I was in Tokyo covering the Olympics because I was literally flying from the NBA Finals to Tokyo and I was thinking to myself, “What have I done, what am I doing here?” I don’t know anyone here. It’s COVID,” she recalls. “I was so sad. But, to be honest, I was somewhat upset.

“I was heartbroken at the thought of what I had for my dream job. And my dream changed. So I started to realize what a new life would look like, so I grieved, and that took about two weeks.”

Taylor said she is grateful for the process, as well as her time at ESPN.

“I’m grateful that I grew up and felt capable and strong enough to walk away and realize that four letters don’t define me, three letters don’t define me, my job doesn’t define me. “I can define who I am and who I want to be in this world, and if that means I change guardians and change locations, it means absolutely nothing—and it’s no one’s business.”

Her video was captioned: “Let’s talk about change. Just choose yourself and let it go.

Taylor and her husband John Hemphill welcomed their sonNovel Ryan Taylor Hemphill, December 2023.

Taylor is in her third season as host of NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” and became the network’s first full-time female studio host of “America’s Night Football.”