Ryan Clark is pushing back on the idea he wasn't forced off the air after learning ESPN had fired him ... saying he asked if he should be done for the day and was flatly told, "Yes."
The former NFL star clarified Wednesday how his final "NFL Live" appearance ended while quoting a TMZ Sports post about his abrupt exit, writing ... "I wasn’t forced? 'I ask, should I be done now?' The answer was 'yes.'"
As we reported ... Clark learned during a commercial break Monday that he was part of a mass layoff at ESPN -- and he never returned to the broadcast.
Ryan Clark was let go by ESPN yesterday in the middle of a live show ... and TMZ has learned how it all went down.
A source with direct knowledge tells TMZ ... Ryan was going to be notified on Tuesday that he was part of a mass layoff, but on Monday ... the network was made aware that a report was about to drop about the former NFL player being laid off. The report was going to be published while Ryan was filming "NFL Live" and a call had to be made ... how should he find out?
We're told ESPN honchos decided to get ahead of the news and tell Ryan during a commercial break, rather than him see an alert on his phone.
Ryan did not come back on the air after being informed he was being let go ... obviously, the news rattled him, and we're told both Ryan and ESPN agreed it was better not to return.
Cam Newton is out at the World Wide Leader ... the latest casualty in a round of cuts that claimed the jobs of some of the most prominent figures in sports media.
The former NFL MVP was laid off this week, according to TMZ Sports' sources ... a surprising move from the powers that be in Bristol.
Newton was only with ESPN for a few years -- he signed on in late 2024 -- but found success opposite Stephen A. Smithduring the NFL season, where he was SAS' main debate partner on"First Take."
Newton was elevated into the premiere spot after Shannon Sharpe parted ways with ESPN last year.
Ryan Clark is sending some words of encouragement to all his coworkers getting axed from ESPN ... saying he hopes they all land on their feet -- while admitting he knows exactly what they're going through.
The former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back and ex-ESPN talent went to X to share his kind message on Tuesday ... saying, "Sending prayers and love to all those laid off today by ESPN."
"So many of you have poured your life into that company, & I know how you’re feeling right now. My hope is as this door closes another opens for you all. God bless!"
Ryan Clark was doing his job when he found out he no longer had one -- the NFL player-turned-ESPN analyst disappeared from "NFL Live" mid-show after a report was published stating he was impacted by a round of layoffs at the network.
The Athletic dropped the news on Monday, stating the former Steelers defensive back was being let go ... but there was one problem -- the network wasn't planning to break it to Clark himself until Tuesday morning.
🚨 THEY ALL KNEW
Ryan Clark got FIRED by ESPN mid-show
NFL Live hit commercial break… came back and he was GONE.
Scott Pelley is opening up about his dramatic exit from CBS News ... and he’s not holding back on the emotion, comparing his firing from "60 Minutes" to his spouse being murdered.
In a new interview with The New York Times, the longtime news veteran became visibly emotional while discussing how he is feeling after being axed from the network last week -- saying at an emotional level, "it's like your spouse was murdered."
The news of Pelley's termination followed a sweep of lay-offs, which he refers to the internal shake-up as a "Black Thursday" moment ... saying the sudden departures of longtime colleagues -- many of whom he’s worked alongside for decades -- left him devastated.
M.I.A.says Kid Cudididn't have the guts to fire her directly ... claiming she found out she'd been dumped from his tour when her son called from school and told her she was out.
The "Paper Planes" artist revisited her fallout with Cudi during an appearance on the New York Times' "Popcast," claiming the two still haven't spoken about her removal from the tour. M.I.A. says she never received a call from Cudi or his team and even tried to speak with him after the controversy erupted, but says he wouldn't meet with her.
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According to M.I.A., she was in another state when her son called and casually broke the news ... saying, "My son called me from school. He's like, 'Oh, I guess you're coming home.'"
Vasana Montgomery is taking responsibility for her past use of a racial slur after being removed from the "Love Island USA" villa after old videos resurfaced online.
"I take full responsibility for what I said and understand why it has hurt and upset people," Montgomery wrote in an Instagram Story Wednesday.
Montgomery said videos from her teen years recently resurfaced and acknowledged using the slur. "I want to address a couple videos from my teen years that have recently resurfaced," she wrote. "In those videos, I used a racial slur. There is no excuse for it, and I am deeply sorry."
Steve Shirilla's contract for his teaching job has not been renewed, TMZ has learned. And Steve tells us he's the one who wanted out.
He told TMZ ... "I wouldn’t resign a contract with them for the simple fact of how they handled this situation… the school and the diocese showed their true colors…"
Steve also says, "I’m done talking about this or anything that’s not about the injustice my daughter has been put through my only focus is her."
Remember, Mackenzie Shirilla's dad had been put on leave after the Netflix documentary "The Crash" dropped ... because of comments he made about his daughter smoking weed.
A North Carolina police officer is out of a job after shocking doorbell camera video captured a violent arrest that sparked outrage in his community.
The footage -- recorded outside a home in Shelby, NC -- shows an officer struggling with a woman before taking her to the ground and repeatedly striking her during a confrontation. The video has since spread across social media ... fueling protests and calls for accountability.
The woman in the video can be heard questioning why she's being detained and insisting there's no warrant. Moments later, the situation turns physical ... with the officer appearing to throw multiple punches.
A TikToker’s reportedly been sacked for praying that Pam Bondi is suffering from her thyroid cancer.
A user with the now-private account @glitterandcrossbones posted a video of herself praying to “Mega Lord Jesus” that the former Attorney General suffers and ends up with a hole in her throat, saying … “Please let Pam Bondi’s throat cancer be the worst case of cancer anybody’s ever seen.”
Tiktoker prays for Pam Bondi to suffer permanently from cancer.
The internet seems to have identified her as an assistant vice president at Jeanne D'Arc Credit Union, based on a screenshot of her supposed Facebook profile and her now-deleted Linkedin.
Hayden Panettiere is about to release her memoir... so she's been an open book about her life lately ... and recently shared one shocking story about upsetting a skincare brand she endorsed after making postpartum comments.
HP recently said on the "On Purpose with Jay Shetty" podcast ... she was taken aback by the negative reaction to her postpartum comments during a morning show interview in 2015.
As she tells it ... after she randomly talked about her experience with postpartum on "Live! with Kelly and Michael," she was immediately told Neutrogena was not pleased with the remarks ... and that the company wanted to fire her on the spot. Her agent saved her job in the moment, but once her contract expired -- she was cut loose.
Matt Lauer's rape accuser Brooke Nevils sat down for her first TV interview since releasing a memoir where she resurfaces her allegations ... and it got emotional.
Brooke tearfully recalled her interactions with the former NBC anchor in an interview with CNN's Pamela Brown.
She alleges Matt anally raped her in his hotel room while they were working at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
The Houston cop at the center of a viral racist rant video is officially off the force ... because the department says her behavior was beyond the pale.
The Houston Police Department announced Friday it has terminated Officer AshleyGonzalez... saying in a statement she is "no longer an employee of the department" following an internal investigation into the shocking viral clip.
According to HPD, Gonzalez was immediately relieved of duty once the department became aware of the video ... and officials say they moved "as fast as legally possible" under state civil service laws to complete the investigation.
Police Chief J. Noe Diaz, Jr. didn’t mince words either ... calling Gonzalez's conduct "abhorrent, disgusting, and entirely unacceptable."
1:53 PM PT -- The DOJ's Rapid Response X account is attempting to debunk the now-viral pic of Pam Bondi's portrait in the trash ... claiming the shot is "Fake News." It also included a photo of the framed picture hanging on the wall -- calling that "Real News."
It's unclear when the picture of the portrait hanging on the wall was taken, for the record.
Pam Bondi looks like she's considered nothing but trash at the Department of Justice ... because hours after President Trump canned her as attorney general, her framed portrait was in the trash can.
Check out this photo, obtained by MS NOW, showing Pam's official portrait resting upside down in an otherwise empty wired trash can in the DOJ office. Ouch.
Pam's portrait used to be hanging on a wall alongside portraits of Trump and Vice President JD Vance ... but now it looks pretty lonely in its new home.
Pam Bondi could be on the outs as Donald Trump's attorney general ... a new report reveals.
According to the New York Times, four people "familiar with the conversations" say Trump has "discussed" sacking Pam because he's "frustrated with her leadership."
NYT's sources -- who "spoke on the condition of anonymity" -- say Trump has toyed with the idea of replacing Bondi with Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lee Zeldin ... if she does get the boot.
