Former ESPN Anchor Sounds Off On Karine Jean-Pierre, Vaccine Mandates In Fiery Interview

Freed from the politically correct corporate culture of ESPN, one former anchor is telling her followers that White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre is “ignoring the science” around transgender athletes’ increased participation in women’s sports and vaccine mandates as the nation gears up for another fall season filled with Covid variants.

Sage Steele, the former longtime host of Sportscenter, told Fox News that KJP is being disingenuous by marking remarks like “there is no yes or no” to the question of fairness in transgender athletic competition.

“The more I hear it, the more angry I get because it’s not complicated. All these people who’ve been preaching science for the last three-plus years with COVID are all of a sudden ignoring science for something that is so basic,” she told Dana Perino.

Fox’s Hillary Vaughn chimed in, asking Steele what she thinks President Joe Biden would do if his four granddaughters were forced to compete against transgender kids as minors. Vaughn said Biden should be forced to answer whether it’s “fair for girls to have to compete against biological males.”

At a recent press briefing, KJP refused to address the issue of fairness in sports, instead pivoting to the White House’s talking point on the issue that the administration is most concerned with “protecting transgender kids.”

“I just answered the question. It is a complicated issue. It is truly a complicated issue with a wide range of views, a wide range of views. There is no yes or no answer to this. It is complicated. There’s a rule that the Department of Education has put forward, and we’re going to let that process move forward,” Jean-Pierre said. “Again, we want to make sure that while we establish guardrails with this rule that we also prevent discrimination as well against transgender kids. But again, a complicated issue with a wide range of views, and we respect that.”

Steele said she hears all the time from supporters of women’s sports who say it’s “easier” and “safer” to refrain from speaking up for fear of being labeled as anti-trans.

“We know the differences between boys and girls, men and women. And I’m disappointed in a lot of people, a lot of companies, etc., that were preaching, you know, women and supporting women’s sports. … And how about all the Title IX work for all these years? Then all of a sudden we’re just forgetting it and ignoring it? And most importantly, people who agree with us that are silent,” said Steele.

In 2021, Steele parted ways with Disney-owned ESPN over her refusal to support vaccine mandates. Steele ultimately took the Covid vaccine but told Fox she continues to believe mandates are another example of how the White House is not following the science.

“And, finally, with the vaccine. The mandate. And I was very careful to make sure that I respected everybody’s opinions. And that my issue was with being forced to do it. And the fact that I had complied. I had literally just come from getting the mandatory shot. I waited until the very last second because I wasn’t sure if I was going to do it. So, I complied but still could have an opinion.”

“I was livid. I was fighting it, but I was told by my agent that if I didn’t apologize, then I would not have a job,” Steele told Fox News Digital.

“I didn’t have a choice, and I had to apologize. And I was forced to work with their head PR guy. I remember a very long call that night trying to come to an agreement on what I would say. And they were very adamant that I didn’t say Disney or ESPN and I say ‘the company, the company, the company.’”

Watch Steele’s full interview here: