ESPN Layoffs Hit Longtime Employee
Karl Labek was taken by surprise. The 61-year-old, who dedicated 33 years to ESPN, found himself among those laid off on Tuesday, just a day after covering the Phillies-Dodgers game in Philadelphia.
ESPN MLB Insider Buster Olney spoke with Labek on Monday about his final day at work. It was a poignant moment, reflecting on their shared history.
“Obviously, yesterday was tough news,” Olney shared during a segment on ESPN New York Radio’s “DiPietro & Rosenberg” the following morning. “I’ve worked with Karl for 23 years, and people often ask who I root for. I usually say, ‘I hope good things happen to good people.’ It’s hard seeing Karl in this situation because I did ‘Baseball Tonight’ and ‘Sunday Night Baseball’ with him. Just the other night, we were ready for the game in Philadelphia, and he came in with his usual enthusiasm. We had a laugh with Dodgers manager Dave Roberts just before.”
Olney continued, expressing his genuine affection for Labek: “My heart goes out to him. It’s been great working with Karl at ESPN.”
Labek was not alone in the layoffs; notable figures such as NFL analyst Ryan Clark, who received the news during “NFL Live,” and former NFL MVP Cam Newton were also impacted. The layoffs included other prominent names like longtime SportsCenter anchor David Lloyd and soccer injury expert Stefania Bell.
Additionally, ESPN New York saw the departure of former Jets player Bart Scott, who co-hosted a daytime show with Chris Carlin.
On Tuesday evening, Labek briefly acknowledged the layoffs on the “Dirt from the Dugout” podcast, stating, “We’re very aware of what’s happening, but we’re not going to discuss that tonight.” Interestingly, when The Athletic reported his firing that morning, Labek admitted that he hadn’t received any notification from ESPN.
Having joined ESPN in May 1993, Labek had a long tenure as the network’s MLB studio host, also serving as play-by-play commentator starting in 2022 for events like the Home Run Derby and the College World Series.
