Linda Cohn Gets Honest About Why She's Leaving ESPN, Hints at 'Exciting' New Chapter

Linda Cohn says it was a "blessing" to have a year to think things over.

An ESPN microphone. | Credit: IMAGO / Pro Shots.

Linda Cohn is retiring from ESPN after 34 years at the network, and it's a life-changing move.

It's always a big deal when a famed sports anchor, personality, or athlete retires, but after 34 years in the same role, leaving is taking on a whole new meaning for Cohn.

Before her final day on ESPN, Cohn stopped by the "Sports Media Watch" podcast to talk about why she's leaving ESPN and what's next for her.

Cohn was a fixture on ESPN "SportsCenter."

She anchored more editions of the program than any other host. When asked about the decision, she said that it was a "mutual decision" and that she had thought about leaving ESPN last year.

Before Leaving ESPN, Linda Cohn Had a Year to Think About the Decision

Cohn's former "SportsCenter" co-host Stan Verrett also left, but she decided to take a one-year extension, which gave her time to think about what to do next.

"Both Stan and I, our contracts were ending end of June (2025)," Cohn said. "I can only speak for me. So they told us, like, mid-May, I only had six weeks to make a decision.

"I didn't want to go back to Bristol, Connecticut. No offense, but I really enjoyed the lifestyle in Southern California, and living by the beach, and it's so healthy and so stress-free, and I didn't want to go back to anything that might have felt toxic, which at times can — you know, when you've been at a place so long, or whatever — and so I didn't want to make a very swift decision."

Linda Cohn Says She's 'Really Excited' for Her Next Chapter

Cohn said that she used that extra year to think about where she wanted to go from there.

She said it was a "blessing" to have that extra time and that she's "really excited" about what's next for her. While she didn't dish on exactly what she'll be doing, she said it was going to be "sports-centric."

Cohn also teased some big things happening on her YouTube channel, @LindaCohnSports, adding that "it's going to be much bigger than that starting next month, and I'm going to enjoy that process, because I hope to have great guests on, and just have fun doing it. That's the key word: freedom and fun."

So, Cohn is looking to make something out of her YouTube channel and enjoy the "freedom" of not being attached to a network. Her page currently has 562 subscribers, but expect that number to go up as she gets rolling on this next project.