Michael Smith Following Jemele Hill Out The ESPN Door

The ESPN anchor will host his last “SportsCenter” show Friday, first reported by Sports Illustrated and confirmed by The NYPost, just over a month after his partner, Jemele Hill, left the show to focus on her work with The Undefeated.

Smith’s departure from “SC6,” the 6 p.m. edition ESPN launched last February as a mix of sports highlights and pop culture, appeared imminent after Hill walked away Jan. 26 under unusual circumstances. While Hill explained her decision as a desire to return to her “true love,” which is writing and reporting, there was more to the story.

ESPN executive Norby Williamson, who assumed control over all of ESPN’s “SportsCenter” content in September, revealed days later that a change in the show’s strategy may have pushed Hill out. Once the dust settled, Smith passionately confirmed Williamson’s concession, blaming management for stunting his and Hill’s show of personality in favor of promoting more traditional anchor roles.