Planet Tyrus – “Sage Steele: Life After ESPN”

Guest: Sage Steele
Host: Tyrus
Release Date: December 4, 2025

Episode Overview

In this engaging and wide-ranging episode of Planet Tyrus, Tyrus welcomes Sage Steele—longtime SportsCenter anchor, independent journalist, and now, newly remarried—to discuss her life after ESPN. Sage reveals her major personal and professional updates, reflects candidly on media culture, family, integrity, personal growth, and why betting on yourself—though risky—is rewarding. With warmth and humor, Tyrus and Sage swap stories about travel, aging, the changing world of journalism, the importance of principles over paychecks, and the complexities of identity and public life.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Transitioning Away from ESPN and Embracing Independence

• Sage’s ESPN Departure:
  • Spent 16 years at ESPN, started in 2007 while parenting three young children.
  • Left the network over a clash of principles and corporate mandates:

    “I had to make that decision, even though it was freaking painful. I knew in my gut then when I decided to sue Disney and ESPN while I was still on their airwaves…” (09:18–09:38)

  • Sage describes the fear, stress, and weight loss that came with standing by her convictions.
• Embracing New Freedoms:
  • With her children grown, she’s found new freedom choosing her projects and conversations:

    “Now I get to make the decisions. Who do I want to talk to?” (07:16)

2. The Price and Satisfaction of Integrity

• Balancing Principle vs. Paycheck:
  • Both agree that standing up for your values comes at a cost, but that the personal peace and self-respect are worth it.
  • Tyrus summarizes:

    “The best revenge is success and a smile.” (10:36)

• Navigating Backlash:
  • Sage openly addresses the isolation and pushback faced for her public stances and for being a Black conservative woman:

    “You have to be okay being disliked. You have to be okay with people putting you in the box that is maybe unfair, but the box.” (11:35)

  • On “losing her Black card”:

    “Do you know how many times on Twitter, like thousands of times, I’ve been told that I was uninvited to the barbecue?” (12:04)

3. Media, Politics, and Culture Commentary

• Shifts in Journalism:
  • Both pinpoint the media’s cultural shift from objectivity to “virtue signaling,” tracing it back to the Obama era:

    “It changed when Barack Obama took office and everybody was just fawning over him.” (25:16)

    • Example: ESPN’s celebratory coverage of Obama, contrasted with critical coverage (or silence) for Trump.
• Identity Politics vs. Leadership:
  • Tyrus and Sage discuss the pitfalls of focusing on identity over qualifications:

    “If the pigment of my skin is my greatest quality, you’re a bad choice to vote for.” (20:08)

• Critical Reflections on the Obama and Biden Years:
  • Both express disappointment in political leaders, particularly regarding racial discourse and leadership style, and lament the divisiveness of identity-based appeals.
  • On Biden’s visible decline:

    “You’re watching a deterioration of a human being...I’m appalled by his family.” (21:08–21:20)

4. Personal Life: Marriage, Family, and Horses

• Major Announcement: Sage’s Remarriage
  • Sage details meeting her now-husband, Dave, at a Nashville charity event—a spontaneous, serendipitous encounter rooted in their families’ shared military background:

    “Our mothers, 30 years ago...used to volunteer at a convent for retired nuns.” (35:00)

  • The couple’s whirlwind romance led to quick engagement and marriage, blending their five children.
  • She expresses deep gratitude for newfound happiness and protection:

    “I’ve never felt this protected and supported and encouraged and loved…” (42:55)

• On Parenting and Growth:
  • Both Tyrus and Sage reflect on having grown children and what their choices and presence teach their kids:

    “By them witnessing us, the good, the bad, the ups and downs, the tears, the happiness, the joy, all of it. They are taking notes. And then when they are in the position to choose a spouse...” (45:16)

• Horse Show Parenting Adventures:
  • The two bond over the expensive, intensive world of raising daughters in equestrian competition, sharing horse stories and parental pride.

    “The only way to get that true core and then the inner thigh is horses. And I challenge the best athlete in the world to get on a horse and not get off the next day.” (53:36)

5. Life Lessons and Candid Advice

• The Value of a Small, True Inner Circle:
  • Tyrus recommends regularly “cutting your circle” to discover who’s truly there for you:

    “You just cut your circle. And then you wait to see who reaches out and it’s...90% don’t.” (51:01)

• Encouraging Vulnerability and Resilience:
  • Both emphasize the importance of being open about struggles, for their audience and their own children—and letting the next generation learn hard-fought lessons themselves.
  • On accepting imperfection:

    “Most of us, we don’t. We do the best we can with what we got. And sometimes they get a connection...they see that, like, you go through stuff too.” (47:07)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Betting on Yourself:

  “When you stand up for your values, your principles, you bet on yourself. There’s not a better satisfaction…they do not affect me one way or the other at all.” – Tyrus (10:36)

• On Journalistic Integrity:

  “No one’s asking you to lean anyway. Don’t lean on anything. Just tell the news.” – Tyrus (27:25)

• On Rediscovering Love:

  “And all of a sudden...I got these crazy, like 16 year old girl butterflies...I went, oh my God, this is my person.” – Sage (37:28)

• On Growing Through Change:

  “When I gave up control and was like...please, take over, because I’m an idiot. And when I did that...everything in my life changed.” – Sage (40:21)

• On the Challenge of Public Identity:

  “You have to be okay being disliked. You have to be okay with people putting you in the box that is maybe unfair, but the box.” – Sage (11:35)

• On Parenting and Role Modeling:

  “My kids got to see this transformation in me as well. And so what does that do? They are taking notes. And then when they are in the position to choose a spouse, I bet they ask different questions...” – Sage (45:16)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:14] – Sage introduced; major announcement teased.
• [07:16] – Life after ESPN: independence and freedom.
• [09:18] – The toll of standing up to ESPN; fear and relief.
• [11:35] – On public perceptions and criticisms of identity.
• [25:16] – Media culture and the decline of journalistic neutrality.
• [34:19] – Sage recounts meeting her husband, Dave—a key personal update.
• [40:21] – Sage describes her faith journey and how giving up control served her.
• [45:16] – On parenting, transformation, and giving children positive examples.
• [51:01] – Tyrus’s advice on trimming social circles and focusing on real friends.
• [53:36] – Athleticism of horseback riding and final reflections.

Tone and Style

The conversation is energetic, candid, humorous, and rooted in lived experience. Both bring warmth and wit, balancing sharp commentary with vulnerability and humility.

Summary Takeaway

This episode of Planet Tyrus delivers both sharp social commentary and heartfelt personal storytelling. Sage Steele’s candid revelations about her departure from ESPN, newfound love, and commitment to principles over paycheck blend seamlessly with banter about horse parenting, the struggles of midlife, and the challenges of living in the public eye. Through laughs and some solemn moments, the episode offers an inspiring testament to the value of integrity, resilience, and personal reinvention—and the enduring importance of keeping your circle tight and your priorities true.