What Happened to Cari Champion?

Cari Champion's journey in broadcast journalism began with early reporting jobs in West Virginia and California, eventually leading her to WPTV-TV in West Palm Beach, Florida, and WGCL-TV in Atlanta. Her passion for storytelling, particularly in sports, became evident during her tenure at the Tennis Channel from 2009 to 2012, where she covered major tennis events and players like Venus and Serena Williams.

In October 2012, Champion joined ESPN, quickly rising to prominence as the host of ESPN2's "First Take," moderating debates between Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith. She made her journalistic debut for the network in November 2014 with a profile of Cam Newton for E:60. After successfully petitioning ESPN, she was promoted to an anchor position for the flagship program "SportsCenter" in July 2015, where she remained for several years, also hosting "SportsNation."

Champion announced her departure from ESPN in January 2020, stating it was "time to leave" after nearly eight years, seeking new opportunities. This marked a significant turning point, allowing her to diversify her portfolio beyond traditional sports broadcasting. From August 2020 to February 2021, she co-hosted "Cari & Jemele (Won't) Stick to Sports" with Jemele Hill on Vice on TV, making history as part of the first Black women to host a late-night cable show.

Post-ESPN, Champion took on various high-profile roles. She co-anchored NBC's primetime studio show "Tokyo Tonight" during the 2020 Summer Olympic Games and co-hosted NBC's reality competition series "The Titan Games." In 2022, she launched "The Cari Champion Show" on Amazon Prime Video Sports Talk, which debuted in November of that year. She also became a regular contributor to CNN, hosting their New Year's celebration and appearing frequently on the network, and hosts TNT's "The Arena" and "NFL Next Live" for Amazon.

Champion is also a dedicated podcaster, hosting "Naked with Cari Champion," an interview-based show exploring the intersection of sports, culture, and politics. In a significant reunion, she and Jemele Hill launched a new iHeartMedia podcast, "Flagrant and Funny," in January 2026, focusing on women's sports and broader cultural topics. As of May 2026, Champion continues to be an active voice, notably making headlines for her comments on the "Flagrant and Funny" podcast regarding WNBA star Caitlin Clark, accusing the league of "blatant favoritism" and criticizing Clark's on-court behavior. She is also slated to anchor CNN's coverage from San Diego for "The Fourth in America: Celebrating 250" programming in July 2026. Beyond her media work, Champion founded Brown Girls Dream, a mentorship network for high-potential women of color.