Well, well, well. It looks like ESPN broadcaster Katie Nolan won't be suspended after her comments about Donald Trump on a recent episode of VICELAND's Desus & Mero. After referring to Trump as a "fucking stupid person," representatives for ESPN told TMZ Sports that they've simply given her a warning about the "inappropriate" comment and that no further action would be taken.
A conversation about hand gestures often associated with white supremacists prompted the comment, with Nolan also referring to the President by another offensive term that was later bleeped out of the aired episode. After sharing her thoughts about her new role at ESPN, where she's only been since last October after four years with Fox Sports, the topic quickly switched to Trump. Nolan actually censors herself slightly, saying "back it up" before launching into the comment - one we can assume is actually the more tame version of what she really wanted to say.
"We have looked into the totality of Nolan’s comments, they were inappropriate and we have addressed it with her," a rep shared.
This is of course quite different than the reaction to SC6host Jemele Hill, who was suspended for two weeks last fall after calling Trump a white supremacist. ESPN suspended her on the grounds that she violated the company's social media policy. Hill was on the receiving end of tons of backlash, with even the President himself taking to Twitter to pressure the network to fire her. This prompted support in the form of the hashtag #IStandWithJemele. Comparatively, Nolan's "warning" is a slap on the wrist.
While both women maintain their tenure at ESPN, the stakes for speaking out are definitely not the same for everyone.
Watch Katie Nolan's guest spot on Desus & Mero above.
