Ep 249 | Why Everyone Should Be TERRIFIED of Former ESPN Host Sage Steele | The Glenn Beck Podcast

Summary

Podcast Summary: Ep 249 | Why Everyone Should Be TERRIFIED of Former ESPN Host Sage Steele | The Glenn Beck Podcast

Introduction

In Episode 249 of The Glenn Beck Program, hosted by the Blaze Podcast Network, Glenn Beck engages in a compelling and heartfelt conversation with Sage Steele, a beloved broadcaster and former ESPN host. The episode delves deep into Sage's courageous stand against corporate mandates, her personal struggles, and broader cultural and political issues affecting American society today.

Sage Steele’s Stand Against ESPN and Disney

Glenn Beck begins the episode by highlighting Sage Steele's bravery in taking on Disney and ESPN, institutions rarely challenged by individuals, especially from within. He emphasizes her role as a pioneering broadcaster who was ultimately punished for expressing dissenting opinions.

Notable Quote:

• Glenn Beck [00:31]: “She took on Disney. Nobody takes on Disney.”

The COVID Vaccine Controversy

The heart of the conversation centers around Sage Steele’s public revelation of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. In September 2021, Sage appeared on Jay Cutler’s podcast visibly distressed, revealing she had taken the vaccine to retain her job at ESPN despite her reservations. Her candid admission sparked backlash, leading to her firing by Disney.

Personal Struggles and Consequences

Sage shares the emotional turmoil she faced, balancing her job responsibilities with personal beliefs and her role as a single mother. The decision to comply with the vaccine mandate, despite her fears and doubts, was a significant turning point that led to her being ostracized both professionally and socially.

Notable Quote:

• Sage Steele [03:27]: “I just waited till the very last second and got the shot on the last possible day... and I was in tears that I gave in.”

Experiences of Racism and Identity

The discussion shifts to Sage’s experiences as a biracial woman in predominantly white spaces. She recounts incidents of racism, including derogatory remarks from peers and the lack of support from authorities when she reported these experiences. These moments fueled her determination to speak out against systemic injustices.

Notable Quote:

• Sage Steele [65:02]: “That was my first time feeling different was as a senior in high school... And it did change me.”

Impact on Personal Life

Sage opens up about her divorce and the immense pressure she faced as the sole provider for her children. Her decision to stand up against ESPN was not just a professional move but a personal one, reflecting her commitment to authenticity and justice over financial stability.

Notable Quote:

• Sage Steele [05:01]: “I needed that job, and that's my responsibilities to those kids.”

Broader Cultural and Political Commentary

Glenn and Sage engage in a broader dialogue about the current socio-political climate in America. They discuss the rise of cancel culture, the erosion of free speech, and the manipulation of social issues for political gains. Sage emphasizes the importance of consistency and integrity, especially in environments like ESPN where she felt other voices were suppressed.

Notable Quote:

• Sage Steele [13:47]: “What we said yes to, we all said yes to. That's what's so scary.”

Reflections on Leadership and Personal Growth

The conversation delves into the qualities of true leadership and personal resilience. Sage reflects on the support she received from unexpected places and how these moments of vulnerability strengthened her resolve. Glenn shares his own experiences with personal trauma and the role of fear in shaping behavior, drawing parallels with Sage's journey.

Notable Quote:

• Glenn Beck [35:40]: “Have we just taken a long circle back to where maybe we were getting to in the early 2000?”

Overcoming Fear and Embracing Authenticity

A significant portion of the episode focuses on overcoming fear and the transformative power of embracing one’s true self. Sage encourages listeners to break free from societal pressures and to lead with heart and integrity, regardless of the consequences. She highlights the importance of faith and personal convictions in navigating life’s challenges.

Notable Quote:

• Sage Steele [69:52]: “I am teaching that. We're teaching our kids to be strong and to do all those things.”

Closing Thoughts and Hope for the Future

In the concluding segments, Sage and Glenn express a shared hope for a future where open dialogue and mutual respect prevail. They acknowledge the deep divisions in society but remain optimistic about the potential for growth and healing through authentic conversations and fearless leadership.

Notable Quote:

• Sage Steele [72:02]: “I have hope. But I'm an eternal optimist and glass half full always. I do think so.”

Conclusion

Episode 249 of The Glenn Beck Program offers an in-depth and emotionally charged discussion with Sage Steele. It not only chronicles her personal battles and triumphs but also addresses significant societal issues such as racism, free speech, and cultural polarization. Sage’s story serves as a powerful testament to the importance of standing up for one’s beliefs, the impact of fear on personal and professional life, and the enduring quest for authenticity and justice in American culture.

Notable Final Quote:

• Sage Steele [80:27]: “All the feminists out there who are sitting on their damn hands... Shame, shame, shame on you women.”

---

Notable Quotes by Timestamp:

• Glenn Beck [00:31]: “She took on Disney. Nobody takes on Disney.”
• Sage Steele [03:27]: “I just waited till the very last second and got the shot on the last possible day... and I was in tears that I gave in.”
• Sage Steele [65:02]: “That was my first time feeling different was as a senior in high school... And it did change me.”
• Glenn Beck [35:40]: “Have we just taken a long circle back to where maybe we were getting to in the early 2000?”
• Sage Steele [69:52]: “I am teaching that. We're teaching our kids to be strong and to do all those things.”
• Sage Steele [72:02]: “I have hope. But I'm an eternal optimist and glass half full always. I do think so.”
• Sage Steele [80:27]: “All the feminists out there who are sitting on their damn hands... Shame, shame, shame on you women.”

Key Themes:

1. Courage and Integrity: Sage Steele’s decision to speak out despite the personal and professional risks.
2. Racism and Identity: Navigating life as a biracial woman and confronting systemic racism.
3. Free Speech and Cancel Culture: The suppression of dissenting voices in corporate and societal structures.
4. Personal Resilience: Overcoming fear, personal loss, and societal pressures to maintain authenticity.
5. Hope and Optimism: Belief in a future where open dialogue and mutual respect foster societal healing.

This episode is a profound exploration of personal strength and the ongoing cultural battles that shape American life, making it a must-listen for those interested in understanding the intersections of media, politics, and personal identity.

Transcript

[Sage Steele]

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[Sage Steele]

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[Sage Steele]

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[Glenn Beck]

And now, Ablaze Media Podcast. Today I'm talking to a woman who is one of my favorite people in the world. She took on Disney. Nobody takes on Disney. Espn. She is one of the country's most loved broadcasters. And if you're a sports fan, you absolutely know who she is because you watched her on ESPN for 16 years until they made the mistake of punishing her for just saying, I don't think I want to put that in my body. Having a different opinion. Plenty of sports anchors could speak their minds freely as long as they were woke, but not her. She found a way to speak to the nation without them. We are going to have a fascinating conversation. Sports, faith, politics, picking on the mouse. Welcome to one of my favorite people in the world, veteran anchor, mother of three, host of the Sage Steel Show, Sage Steele. How are you?

[Sage Steele]

Fabulous.

[Glenn Beck]

It's so good to have you.

[Sage Steele]

Thank you. I'm honored to be here.

[Glenn Beck]

You've never been on my show.

[Sage Steele]

No.

[Glenn Beck]

Isn't that crazy?

[Sage Steele]

I know.

[Glenn Beck]

How is that possible?

[Sage Steele]

I'm gonna let the past be the past.

[Glenn Beck]

I know.

[Sage Steele]

I'm not gonna build a grudge. No, it is an honor. And I told you this. I know you hear from everybody, but like, you've inspired me more than you know. So thank you.

[Glenn Beck]

That's really good. Thank you. You've inspired me and so many other people with what you did. I mean, I've. I don't want to dwell on this because everybody's told the story, but I think it's important to set the table. What you did in Covid and just standing up and even risking, I don't even know if you knew that, but risking a job of standing up and saying. And when you. If I'm not mistaken, that was your dream job for a long time, right?

[Sage Steele]

It was.

[Glenn Beck]

I used to love, love Disney. I know Walt wouldn't recognize it anymore. They've just become this monstrous machine. How much. What did that feel like? I mean, when you. Because all you did at first, if I remember right, is you came out and you Were like, I took the jab and. And I didn't want to. And you were right. You didn't denigrate them a little bit.

[Sage Steele]

That's arguable, maybe. Okay. I did it on an off day, on a podcast. Just, you know. Yes, I had no choice if I wanted to keep my job. And I didn't appreciate that, to be forced to take a shot. And I had done enough homework just to know that there's a lot of questions about it. And so this is September of 2021, and you were one of the first.

[Glenn Beck]

First publicly, weren't you?

[Sage Steele]

I guess so, but I didn't mean to.

[Glenn Beck]

Yeah, no, I know.

[Sage Steele]

I just. I had talked to my agent at the time who had talked to people at espn. They were saying, she really doesn't want to do it. And then I thought there were other treatments or vaccines that they were researching that might be somewhat different. Would you ask them to consider letting me wait six months? I just didn't feel comfortable. And. And my agent said, well, you know, you could get a religious exemption. I'm like, but that's a lie. This isn't about religion for me. Well, you could get a medical, but, well, that's a lie. Like, I was trying to do it the right way. I could have gotten a fake card. Well, that was a lie. And then I thought, well, then they'd really go after to make sure mine's right, because they knew I was hesitant. So I just waited till the very last second and went and got the shot on the last possible day in order to be fully vaccinated by September 30, 2021, and then went on a podcast. And all I said was, because I swear to you, this wasn't a prop. It was warm and I had a short sleeve on it, and the band aid was on. And I had come straight from the shot to the podcast in tears that I gave in and I didn't remember. And it was on Jay Cutler, the former quarterback, his brand new podcast. And he said, what's the band aid? And I just was like, oops. And. And I said, I took it. But I think this is where I got in trouble. I think it's sick and wrong for any company to force anyone to do something to their body that they don't want to.

[Glenn Beck]

But that is right.

[Sage Steele]

Correct.

[Glenn Beck]

It is.

[Sage Steele]

Right at that moment, I guess people were more sensitive. And I said, but I complied because I need my job and I love my job. And I'm not surprised because it is a big global company. Disney like many others that we're forcing us, I'm not surprised, but I'm upset. But here we are, and onward, and that was it.

[Glenn Beck]

And what happened? How fast did it take for you to get the phone call as soon.

[Sage Steele]

As the podcast hit? There were a couple other things that made some headlines from the podcast that I, apparently, I wasn't allowed to say. Opinions based on my experiences as a woman in locker rooms for 25, 30 years and as a biracial woman. Those topics around that got me in trouble. But it was day after it dropped, and it started off with, what you said isn't going over well at headquarters. And I'm like, what are you talking about? I complied. You made me do this. I did it. I can have an opinion, but I followed the rules. And then it quickly went south. And I was given the choice to issue a formal apology, a statement, or I don't have a job. I'd be fired. And to be suspended with pay, but to be suspended. And I just, for the context, for people who have through the years, said, oh, well, you caved. You took the shot. Yeah, I did. I did. I also, unfortunately, had been recently divorced, and I was the sole. Still am, the sole, you know, provider, breadwinner for three kids. All of them are in college right now as we speak. So when I say I needed that job, you needed that job, I needed that job, and that's my responsibilities to those kids. So as much as I did break, and I still am disappointed in myself in some ways for giving in to the mandate, I had no choice for a different reason.

[Glenn Beck]

I never forced anybody to take it. I think that it's your body, you know what I mean? But I almost took it because we were going over to the Middle east and it was. Remember the Afghan thing? And we were trying to save all these people, and I didn't have to be there, but I wanted to be there and lead some things. And we thought that the country wasn't gonna let us in unless we got the jab. And we all were sitting in a parking lot here in Dallas, waiting for the attorney to say, you have to take it or not. And I wrestled with that, and I'm so glad I didn't do you. I mean, from what you know now, does it freak you out at all that you took that?

[Sage Steele]

The only reason I can honestly say no is because the night before, I wasn't sure I was going to do it till I walked in this stupid little pharmacy at a grocery store in the middle of nowhere Connecticut. The Night before, I went to bed in tears because I was like, if I don't do this, how am I going to feed my kids? How am I going to give my husband his alimony checks? Like, real issues, real questions. And I just. I went to bed and I just prayed for a sign. And when I woke up the next morning and I got in the shower, I was crying still because I'm like, what am I going to do? And I open my eyes, and I haven't told this story often because it makes me cry. This was a house that I had done some renovations, but I still done the bathroom. And there was some ugly, brownish marble tile on the other side of the glass of the shower. And I saw it. And for the first time after three years of living there, for the first time, when I looked at that one spot, I saw the outline of an angel in the marble. I looked at that 10,000 times, and at that moment, I realized I asked for a sign. And I took that as you will be protected. So I'd like to believe that what went in me that day was water. I don't know, was not the vaccine. I also had to keep my job, had to get a booster in order to do my job and cover the masters, as I always had. And I knew I was risking it, but I felt I did have a choice. But in order to keep my job, I felt I had no choice. And I just had. Felt like, okay, God has taken care of me all this time, and that was assigned to me. That angel in the marble.

[Glenn Beck]

If you wouldn't have seen that, what decision would you have made?

[Sage Steele]

I don't know. I don't know. I was just walking away and just. And just getting. Going back to court and say, I can't pay him all this money. Like, I. I don't know, but I. I know that. Then this is maybe the coolest part. Besides the angel and the ugly marble, I went into.

[Glenn Beck]

Sounds like a bad. Sounds like a bad Hallmark movie. Christmas with the. The angel and the ugly marble.

[Sage Steele]

Brown. Who has brown tile? Marble, whatever. When I sat down in the chair in the stupid grocery store pharmacy in the middle of nowhere, Connecticut, the sweet. I don't. She probably wasn't a nurse. Probably like, you know, like me off the street, putting the shot in. And she looked at me and she's like, are you okay? Because my eyes were red. And I said, no, I'm being forced to take this to keep my job. And I'm afraid. And this sweet woman looked at me, grabbed my hand and said, this is so wrong, and I'm so sorry.

[Glenn Beck]

Wow.

[Sage Steele]

And then she put it in my arm. Something changed in me at that moment. Like, something in me. Anger. Something changed. And I didn't. I don't think I knew it at the time, but I felt it.

[Glenn Beck]

Tell me what that means. Anger. How do you.

[Sage Steele]

Like, they pushed me too far.

[Glenn Beck]

Okay.

[Sage Steele]

As it's going in, it's too late. It fired me up in ways that I think I'm seeing today still. My mom and I are like, whoa. But something about her acknowledging how wrong it was, too. This complete stranger as she did it. She needed a job too, right? Like, there's so many people who felt that it was wrong, but were afraid to say it. But then she saw me crying, but still doing it. I drove right home. I sped home because I was late. Cause I sat in the parking lot debating whether or not I was gonna do it for way too long. So I was late to get home to do Jay Cutler's podcast. So I believe that, like, I was fired up that I was put into that position. And so when I said what I said, I was holding back, but I meant it when I said I thought it was sick and scary, because it is.

[Glenn Beck]

It changed so many people. I mean, I remember being on the air, coming home from Christmas vacation, seeing what was happening before anybody was really paying attention, seeing what was happening in China, and going on the air and saying, this is disturbing. I don't know what it is yet, but this is disturbing. These signs aren't good. Then they started locking people up and everything else. And I remember saying on the air, don't fear the virus. Fear what comes and what people do because of the virus. The changes that will happen. But I said at the same time, but I can't imagine that we will ever do anything like that in America. We'd go crazy. Well, I got the crazy part right.

[Sage Steele]

Yeah.

[Glenn Beck]

But just. I mean, I couldn't believe what we turned into. And still, in some ways, are.

[Sage Steele]

Still are. It's sick and it is shocking, especially here. China, you know, you can kind of understand. I remember I was thinking about this the other day, about, you know, in order to go to work, in order to go anywhere, you had to go to the fricking drive through and get a swab up your nose to your brain. Basically. The things that we said yes to, we all of us said yes to. That's what's so scary. But I believe that was the beginning of us realizing.

[Glenn Beck]

I think it was. I mean, rfk. He changed. We didn't agree on. And he actually, at one point when I was hosting a show on cnn, because I disagree on the cures for climate change. I can read a temperature gauge, you know.

[Sage Steele]

Sure.

[Glenn Beck]

But I don't believe these. What they're planning on doing is a good thing. He actually said, you're a traitor and you should be tried for treason. I said to him, that's the only thing in the Constitution that's clearly spelled out. That's the death penalty. And he said, yes. Right. So I've never had a lot in common with rfk. He came on the show and I said, do you remember that time? He said, oh, yeah. And he said, Covid changed me. He said, I never thought. He said I was too flippant. And I just never thought we would ever become the people.

[Sage Steele]

Yeah.

[Glenn Beck]

Like that. And he said, when I saw Covid and what we were doing, I couldn't believe it. And I want nothing to do with it. I mean, that's a massive change, especially for Kennedy.

[Sage Steele]

Rfk.

[Glenn Beck]

Right.

[Sage Steele]

He was able to say stuff like that. And basically the death penalty. Yeah.

[Glenn Beck]

So if you agree. But you. It wasn't just Covid, finish what happened and the rest of that interview, they got trouble for.

[Sage Steele]

Well, the first, in chronological order, the first thing was women in sports. And just talking about how much it had evolved through the years. I graduated from college in 1995, and so I was always the only woman in the locker room. Always. And then there were younger women coming along who I would, you know, I didn't have a female role model or someone to take me under their wing in the locker rooms and to tell you how to kind of manage that whole thing or dealing with all the coaches and traveling and what that looks like. And so I tried to do that with women along the way. And I just saw how more and more women would come in the locker room, but then I'd look and I'm like, what is she wearing and why? So I said, that's one thing that's been disappointing, is because when women. Not all. Oh, my gosh, of course. I think most are certainly very professional. But when you go into a locker room or any business area, conference room, whatever, it does matter what we're wearing as men, too, but certainly as women. And so when you go into those spaces and you're hanging out and stuff showing and you're more worried about, like, how sexy you look and how good you look, that takes away from your credibility and all the women who've come ahead of you. So I said women, we are smart. I have two daughters that are in college. We talk about this a lot. Women are so smart. Let's not play dumb. Like, well, oh, I felt uncomfortable because, you know what? If you're wearing that, I'm gonna look at you. And I like men, but like, at the end of the day, we know what we're wearing. I'm just saying be professional as you would anywhere else. Not looking like you're going to a nightclub. So that turned into Sage Steel believes women who dress are asking for it. Oh, deserve to be raped. That's what headlines were. That was nothing compared to. Jay asked me about being biracial and why it's so important to me if I'm asked to say yes. Biracial, not just black.

[Glenn Beck]

So in other words, they wanted you to be more black. Oh, okay. We live in a world that is constantly changing in ways we don't see coming. But one thing that will always remain the same is the need to be ready. Some emergency preparedness. Vitals include emergency contacts, plan for evacuation routes, meeting places for your family, you know, get. Get out of town. Bag a go bag with important documents, flashlights, batteries and non perishable food. And of course you should consider having a Jace case as part of that equipment as well. I can't recommend these highly enough. If you're the type of person that wants to be prepared if disaster strikes or you. You're going on vacation and your kid gets sick, you don't want to have to go find a CVS or whatever. Wherever you are in the middle of the night, you're going to want the Jace case. Jace case. It's personalized emergency kit contains the essential antibiotics and medications that treat most common and deadly bacterial infections. It provides five life saving antibiotics for emergency use. They even have ivermectin as an add on if you want it. The horse. I'm not a horse. Go to jace.com, enter their giveaway and also purchase your own case. Enter the promo code Beck at checkout for a discount on your order. It's Jace. J-A S E dot com. The promo code is Beck.

[Sage Steele]

I'm ready for my life to change.

[Glenn Beck]

ABC Sundays. American Idol is all new.

[Sage Steele]

Give it your all. Good luck. Come out with a golden ticket.

[Glenn Beck]

Let's hear it. This is amaz.

[Sage Steele]

Whoa.

[Glenn Beck]

I've never seen anything like it. And a new chapter begins. Carrie Underwood joins Lionel Richie, Luke Bryant and Ryan Seacrest on American Idol News Sundays, 8, 7 Central on ABC and stream on Hulu.

[Sage Steele]

I told the story of what happened when I was on The View in 2014 with Barbara Walters and Whoopi and Sherri shepherd and Jenny McCarthy, that was the cast at the time. And they said, hey, can we talk about you being biracial and how important it is to you? I was like, sure. So we get on there, and it's live. And Barbara Walters asked me, you know, about my background. And then she said, so why don't you just identify as black? And I said, well. Cause I'm not. I mean, I'm both at that time. Ironically, I found out later when I saw the tape behind me. They put up a picture of my family. My black dad, my white mom, and my two brothers. And, hi, I'm both. I'm actually 50% of each. And I'm so proud of all of me. Right? Isn't that diversity? Isn't that what we want and promote in this country? So she said, well, 2014, well, the President says he's black and he's biracial, too. And she goes, what do you do when you fill out the census? And I was like, I don't know. I checked both or all of them or not. I don't care. But I'm not gonna exclude one. And I said about Obama, I said, well, congratulations to the president. I think it's fascinating that he was raised by his white mother and his white grandmother, and his black father, unfortunately, was nowhere to be found. He wrote a book about it. This is not breaking notes.

[Glenn Beck]

He said that in 2014.

[Sage Steele]

Couldn't say it anytime. Right. But I said, you do you identify how you want. I'm gonna do me. And I'm pretty sure that my white mom was there the day I was born. And I'm so proud of all of me. Why is that bad? So you're telling me I'm not enough of this, but tomorrow you're gonna say, I'm not enough of this. Like, I can't keep up. This is me. I feel like I represent so much of America where we're mixed race and it's beautiful. So I. It was actually not a big thing then in 2021, when I repeated the exact story on this podcast, it was Sage Steele hates black people and the sellout, the coon. All of the language that I don't like to repeat. So that was the other big thing. And that, along with the Disney comment, is what got me shut down and canceled. And the ironic thing is when they pulled me off the air and said, you must issue this statement or you're out of A job is what they told my agent. Apparently not directly to my face. I was sick. Sicker than I've ever been in my life with COVID After, of course, getting the shot that was supposed to prevent me. So I'm in bed, unable to breathe at times. It got me hard. Alone. My kids were with their father for eight days. I was alone. I'd never been in a darker place in my life. Being canceled by every person I thought was a friend, every network, every peer, every everything. And all black people. Not all, of course.

[Glenn Beck]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Sage Steele]

So that was the beginning of my end at espn, which was also the beginning of a beautiful new beginning. Like, all of it. All of it. But I look back and I still. I swear to you, I would not change a thing. And there will always be pain from that. Because the only reason I stood up and sued later is because ESPN and Disney allowed all of my peers who leaned to the left, who hated Trump, who loved Obama and loved everybody, they could say whatever they wanted on ESPN platforms, live on an NBA show, to talk about Roe vs. Wade being overturned while talking, instead of talking about basketball or the don't say gay bill on a football basketball show. So my point is, just be consistent. You cannot allow all of them to say whatever on ESPN platforms. Nothing to do with sports while I'm on a podcast on an off day talking about my experience as a biracial woman. My experience with taking this shot and complying with your rules, especially when I.

[Glenn Beck]

Can'T comment on your experience because I'm a white, cisgendered man and I can't even relate to your. That's. I mean, that's. I can't comment on it. They'll shut me down.

[Sage Steele]

No way.

[Glenn Beck]

I can't have an opinion on anything. But then you biracial, you should not have a biracial. I mean, it's really crazy. I mean, we've. We've gone insane. And I mean, I've been on the View. Oof. Nasty. But I was talking to Jay Leno this weekend, and he calls me up. He's like, I'm insane. I don't understand. And he said. He said, glenn, I'm out. He said, I take my fire truck. He's got an old fire truck. Take my fire truck out to the fires. He said, because these firemen are eating and they're working 15, 18 hours a day. And he said, they need food and they're getting box lunches. And he said, I just thought it'd be nice to have one hot meal a day. He said, so I bring my fire truck up, and I bring all his. He said, anderson Cooper comes up to me and says, what are you doing here, Jay? And he said, these guys are eating sandwiches, and I think one hot meal a day would be good. So I'm bringing him hot meal. He said, you know, that was twisted into. He said, that was twisted into Jay Leno takes on America's box lunches. What he's like, what he's like, we have lost our minds.

[Sage Steele]

It's so stupid. It's so embarrassing, and it is pathetic. It is. But that is why we're here today.

[Glenn Beck]

Yeah.

[Sage Steele]

That is why Donald Trump is back in office, because they pushed us too far. And I actually believe it took every bit of what has happened.

[Glenn Beck]

It did.

[Sage Steele]

Leading up to 2020, Black Lives Matter, George Floyd, all of the things. How the Democrats chose to run Kamala's campaign, how they chose to put her there in the first place, for people to get to the brink of disaster before realizing that.

[Glenn Beck]

I don't think everybody realizes that, though.

[Sage Steele]

No, I don't. I think a lot more do. Oh, yeah, like, obviously, or else we wouldn't be here. Not many are willing to say it out loud, maybe.

[Glenn Beck]

I think we were actually blessed by the Lord that he didn't win in 2020.

[Sage Steele]

Totally agree.

[Glenn Beck]

Right?

[Sage Steele]

Totally agree. Because it would have just been, oh, my God, four more years of this crazy person instead of going, oh, he's not that bad. Because look what these people did. Not just allowed to happen, did to us. And it was intentional. And they didn't think that we would smarten up in time. Why would they think that? Look at how we lined up and went and got that shot, just like I did. So why would they think that we would, you know, be like, ho, ho, ho. Why would they think that after what they did to the election in 2020? I have always been an election denier. I don't care. You can tell me what you want. I've seen enough videos. I'm not an idiot. And I'm choosing to see what's in front of me instead of ignoring it. Or at least, you know, choosing to say, took every bit of this crap for us to get him get to where we are today and to get him back in office and a better version as a president, as a human.

[Glenn Beck]

Being, I think him, first of all, I think it hardened him. I think when 2020 happened, he was like. And I said to him, I talked to him right after the election, And I said, Mr. President, I don't have any proof, but you'll never convince me that that was fair. But I don't have any proof that what was fair that the election.

[Sage Steele]

2020.

[Glenn Beck]

Yeah, okay. I said, but, you know, I'm sorry for everything that you've gone through. And he just really had a hard time with that. However, in time he, I think he just started to catalog, okay, what happened here. He had no time to think what happened, what didn't I know. You notice he doesn't have his family as the only people around him this time. He knows now who I can trust. He had no one he could trust, so he started catalyzing. And then when they started coming after him and his family, the first time I talked to him, when they first went after his children, I think it was his son, or maybe it was Ivanka, Ivana. And she said, or he said to me, they went after my effing children. And I saw real anger from him for the first time. However, he then had to go through court and everything else. And by the time he gets up to the assassination attempt, he's not that way anymore. He's not that way. And then the assassination attempt happened and I think that was, I know it was, that was a God moment and it humbled him. Instead of becoming angry, he just became even more determined. And look at him now. He's back to the Donald Trump I knew in 2008 or 10 or, you know what I mean, that wasn't running for politics, wasn't running for president. He was comfortable in his skin. He knew the game, he knew what he was playing. It was that four year period that I think just took him absolutely by surprise.

[Sage Steele]

Yeah.

[Glenn Beck]

And look at him now.

[Sage Steele]

I didn't know or think, of course I didn't know. I didn't know him or anyone around him at that time. But I didn't think he was going to run again. I thought, you know what, like this is a sad ending. But yeah, I mean, of what benefit is it? You certainly aren't going to have more money in your pocket after he had less, as we know, nobody has come out with less except Donald Trump. Right. But I do think that he had to go through it. He's more humble, despite what people want to think, because number one, the assassination attempt and I feel his belief in God. He speaks about it much more than.

[Glenn Beck]

He ever has in a real way.

[Sage Steele]

Beautifully like, very genuine. And I also think that from a business perspective almost, I mean, we all have to take a step back sometimes to be our best selves. And during that time when he was ticked off, and rightfully so because of what happened in 20. And then of course, coming after him, you have more time to assess and how can I be better? And I loved when he went on Joe Rogan and talked about what he did wrong and how he admit, like he admitted that he should have vetted people better and not hung on because he's loyal and he didn't have the right people to admit that is incredible.

[Glenn Beck]

Remember when Barack Obama was asked, what did you do wrong? And he said, nothing, Nothing, nothing.

[Sage Steele]

How about Kamala Harris? What would you change?

[Glenn Beck]

Nothing.

[Sage Steele]

Nothing. Like if you just show a little bit of humanity, what would I do differently? I believe people see that and go, oh, you know what else it is? It's really good leadership when you can own your crap. And then as an employee, I said, in 30 years in the industry, I've had maybe enough true leaders. On one hand, people have the title, but they don't know how to lead.

[Glenn Beck]

Correct.

[Sage Steele]

When he did that to me, it was a massive thing for me to see as I look up to our commander in chief, him and some others. And he acknowledged, this is where I can do better. And now we've seen it. And I also think that 48 hours after he was shot to be there in Milwaukee, I guess it was. And the shots that they took of him. Shots shouldn't use that word. The close ups of him sitting there while his 17 year old granddaughter had the courage to get on stage and speak about her grandfather. You saw the tears in his eyes.

[Glenn Beck]

Oh, yeah.

[Sage Steele]

We are seeing the human side of Donald Trump.

[Glenn Beck]

We saw it.

[Sage Steele]

It's beautiful.

[Glenn Beck]

We saw it that week unlike I've ever seen it before in anyone else. You could watch it happen in real time from the minute he was. And let me show you this. To the ground.

[Sage Steele]

Yes.

[Glenn Beck]

To the fight. To the next day. You could see the hesitance in Milwaukee as he's walking. He remember he walked out of that and then he stopped. I do too. He stopped for a minute and you were like, he's not the same man. Not the same man.

[Sage Steele]

He was not like, look at me.

[Glenn Beck]

Yes.

[Sage Steele]

He was absorbing it and he was present.

[Glenn Beck]

Yeah. He was also for the first time he showed it because he actually really likes people. But you don't see that. You know what I mean? He's got such a. But you could see how much the people meant to him. When he stood up, he told me, I saw that no one had run and they were. I'm going to tear up saying this. And they didn't run. They were with me. That's when he cemented his relationship. I'm never walking away from these people. And he always said to me that it was about the people that he had promised. Not the bigwigs, the people that came to his rallies that he promised he would fix that moment for him. I think he realized they're the ones I can trust.

[Sage Steele]

Yeah.

[Glenn Beck]

And I will fight for him. And then for him to come out and he had that applause. You could see him. He was grateful. He was grateful.

[Sage Steele]

People don't want to acknowledge his human side. It's easier not to. It's easier to hate somebody when you only see the one thing. I had never met him until a few months ago during the election, the campaign. And, you know, he's no different from us in the way that he wants to be liked. You know, maybe it's not everything for him. Obviously not. Or else he would have never done this, certainly not again, or he would.

[Glenn Beck]

Have just acquiesced just like everybody else. Yeah. Just don't say those things.

[Sage Steele]

Yes. Just like everybody else. And I love that about him. I love actually seeing that part, because I. That means, oh, we have a little something more in common. I'm getting over that disease of being a pleaser and, like, trying to make people like me. I give up.

[Glenn Beck]

I came from an alcoholic family, and that was my role. I was the little clown. I was the little, hey, everything's okay, everybody. And I still fight that. I still fight that.

[Sage Steele]

You do?

[Glenn Beck]

Yeah. Not strangely, not on the air. I got into radio when I was 13, and so I've told everything to this that I've never told to people. I mean, my first wife, I came home one day after I talked about my mom's suicide, and it was a really traumatic moment for me. And I got home and she said, your mother killed herself. I don't. This is different for me.

[Sage Steele]

Your wife didn't know.

[Glenn Beck]

She didn't know. I didn't even think about it at the time.

[Sage Steele]

Oh, my goodness.

[Glenn Beck]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Sage Steele]

Because your wife was listening.

[Glenn Beck]

She was listening, and she was like, what? What? Wait, what? And it's just. It's weird. So I don't have a problem saying hard things to it, but I have a hard time in real life. I don't like confrontation. It's the alcoholic, you know, it's the alcoholic in me. I don't like confrontation. You know, I was talking about that today, about Trump and his tariffs.

[Sage Steele]

Yeah.

[Glenn Beck]

You know, I think people, they want America first. They Want to do the right thing. They want the end of the war in the Ukraine. But the minute a leader stands up and says, knock it off and sit down and you two. Everybody gets uncomfortable. Well, let's not do that. That could. Cause it's Reagan saying those guys. That's an evil empire.

[Sage Steele]

Yes.

[Glenn Beck]

You have to change the game.

[Sage Steele]

You have to.

[Glenn Beck]

And you did that.

[Sage Steele]

Oh, gosh.

[Glenn Beck]

You did. You changed the game. No, but you did.

[Sage Steele]

I don't know. I don't know if I did. And it certainly wasn't my goal.

[Glenn Beck]

I know, but you did. And I think you still are. Women's sports. I mean, what's been happening with women's sports? And they're all saying, I'm doing it to protect women. And I honestly. I don't even understand the mathematics that gets you there.

[Sage Steele]

It's so stupid. It's so stupid that this is even a conversation. And the hypocrisy in it is just so thick, you know?

[Glenn Beck]

Do you think anyone is sincere in that?

[Sage Steele]

Well, in saying that men can be.

[Glenn Beck]

Women and women can be men, and it's totally cool. And I don't.

[Sage Steele]

I think that they. Yes, but they're part of the mentally ill group, and that group is growing. Yeah, sadly, it is. But there's no other way. Because these are the same people that said, follow the science. Follow the science. And then I'm anti science. Right. You know, I was.

[Glenn Beck]

And even today, because you speak out, you know, and say, hey, this. Obviously, the record is clear on the science that just happened.

[Sage Steele]

Yes.

[Glenn Beck]

And they still will say, that was science and you were wrong.

[Sage Steele]

Correct. Exactly. And I wanted to kill everybody around me by not being vaccinated. Exactly. I do think it's a. People have mental issues and. Or just absolutely refuse to. To acknowledge something that might make them look like they're more in the middle on something, which, again, there's very few issues that are black and white. And this is Right. I think one of the reasons I keep speaking up, number one. Yes. Because these young women. But also when I was at ESPN, I was part of espnW, which I love, W for women. And it was an annual conference retreat summit every year, I think, starting in 2010. And I was the original host for 11 straight years. 10 or 11 straight years until this year, that year in 2021, when I spoke up. And it's all the strongest women and athletes and executives from all different corporations, whether it's Lululemon or Nike, like Gatorade all over the place. And the silence that we continue to See, hear. You can't hear it because they're silent is mind boggling and disgusting to me. All these women who stand up there and preach, pro women, pro this, pro that. You don't do enough highlights on us, you don't do enough this and that, then salaries, and now you're silent at the most obvious time. Title IX is something we always talk about. Billie Jean King came to the conference several times. I mean, she was right there in the middle of it. I was born in 1972. That's the beginning of Title IX. And now they're willing to take this and allow it, and they're actually encouraging it some and are part of it. I've said from day one with this. If we just as women sportscasters came together and said, okay, there is room for everyone, and we will figure this out, because this is not about excluding anyone transgender. But if we just stood up, this would have ended. But instead, there's been one and a half people in the sports industry. Two people, me and my friend Samantha Ponder, who also got fired from ESPN last fall because she's a conservative. And then we're silenced because of it and canceled and threatened. And you're losing a door because we're standing up for women. It's no different than Covid to me. They want to control. They're making money from this stuff. And if we continue to stay quiet, there is blood on our hands. And I firmly believe that.

[Glenn Beck]

Oh, have you ever read Trying to remember who wrote this? Back in the 50s, there was a book, I think. I think it's called Ordinary Men, and it was done by a researcher. Some of the worst Nazis were the best police officers of Poland. Okay.

[Sage Steele]

Okay.

[Glenn Beck]

They were fair, they were decent, they were honorable, and they quickly became the worst of the worst of the Nazis. Okay. And so this researcher went back and tried to figure out what the hell happened, because it happened that fast.

[Sage Steele]

So fast.

[Glenn Beck]

And I'm doing horrible injustice to her theory, but it's absolutely right. One person said, do it or you're fired. You're out. And they did it. And then it just was a Rubicon. They just crossed it. And then they just had to continue to reinforce that they were on the right side. And it just got worse and worse and worse. And they could no longer see it once they crossed the river. Once they did that, it was over. And it's. I feel like that's what we're doing again. I mean, thank God. Not to that degree, but people have just crossed the river. They've burned Their families burned people. They stood for things that no person in their right mind today would still be backing up. But they can't. They can't go back. They feel like they can't go back.

[Sage Steele]

And I understand the fear in many ways. I have noticed, though, lately with all of these topics, political, cultural, whatever. I think this is something I need to work on. I have no more patience for people who live in fear. I don't. And I'm not saying that from a mean whatever perspective, but I think it comes from some personal stuff too, where. When you live in fear, I mean, I'll just say I'm divorced, you know, I was married for 20 years, and I wouldn't change a thing. And I love what we had, and I have my three kids, and I'm.

[Glenn Beck]

Grateful, but I was shocked when you.

[Sage Steele]

And I met at amfest.

[Glenn Beck]

At amfest with Charlie Kirk's thing. And I've known about you, but we'd never met. Had we ever talked before?

[Sage Steele]

No.

[Glenn Beck]

And I was so emotional. Immediately impressed with your strength and the sense of. You just know there's. Successful people are either total frauds or they just know who they are and that's why they're successful. Yeah. And I just was overwhelmed by that. And then you started talking to me and putting little breadcrumbs out about you were afraid. In a relationship, you're afraid and it doesn't.

[Sage Steele]

That doesn't equate. Yeah.

[Glenn Beck]

It doesn't work. Have you ever talked about it? Are you willing to talk about that?

[Sage Steele]

Yeah.

[Glenn Beck]

What was that?

[Sage Steele]

What happened in my marriage?

[Glenn Beck]

Yeah. With you being afraid. How did that happen? Because you don't seem like a woman who's afraid.

[Sage Steele]

Yeah, I'm not anymore.

[Glenn Beck]

But why were you. What happened?

[Sage Steele]

Very well intended, I think. Only girl, first child. I just. The pleaser in me just. I wanted to make sure everybody around me was okay and happy. And I come from an incredible. You know, my parents. I'm 52. My parents will be married 54 years this year as an interracial couple that get married in 1971.

[Glenn Beck]

Wow.

[Sage Steele]

Where my mom's family, her parents, not family, but parents disowned her from marrying a black man. And all that they've been through. They are my why, my strength, my everything, along with my kids. And not. But. But. And I just. I was that girl. And I wanted to please and please the teachers and please my coaches and please everybody and make sure everybody's good. And I married my first boyfriend. Met him in College. I was 20 and got married at 26, almost 27. And yeah, divorced at 47. So that's all I knew my whole adult life. My whole life, you know, and it was a. Again, I say this, I wouldn't change anything, but it was, it was. He was a stay at home dad. And it was great for many years as my career, you know, continued to. And I had this. I mean, I was always. I had guilt. I had guilt for not being home as much as I wanted to be. I had guilt for, okay, having. Being too successful at some point, which. How did that make my husband feel? And he was going to go back to work when the baby got into first grade and never did. And that's why we're here today, et cetera.

[Glenn Beck]

But what were you afraid of?

[Sage Steele]

I was afraid of everything I was afraid of. I just. I don't know. When I say everything, I can't even think of how to summarize it because I was afraid that if I wasn't home enough, then I wouldn't be a good mother. And my friends who all stayed home were judging me. I was afraid that if I was too successful, then it would make my husband feel smaller because he's the man and I'm very. And I didn't. The whole role reversal, I didn't like anyway, but I was doing well, so it's the right thing for the family. So I made myself smaller. Oh, my gosh. In every way to try to make sure everybody around me didn't feel like I thought I was all that on TV and all the things. And then I was afraid to address the issues because I'm Catholic and we don't get divorced. You don't do that. I was afraid of the judgment. I was afraid God would be mad at me. The fear was everywhere. And then, and then you're not enough racially, right? Because I'm not white and I'm not black. And so then you have to choose. And if I say this, then I'll be too white. If I say this, then I'll be too black. And then I'm different. I'm not black enough because I have white hair that, like, it went everywhere. And so then, okay, I'm doing well and I was good at my job and I worked my butt off and everybody was happy. And then I had. These things were happening in society where I'm like, that's wrong, that's not okay. But if I say something, then I'll be too far over here and then I won't be liked by the left and people who look like me because. So you just stay silent. And then if I. Then I would speak up.

[Glenn Beck]

This makes my head hurt just thinking, do you know?

[Sage Steele]

Do you see why my hair's curly? Because it's just everything. But I just. It was smarter to stay quiet, Glenn. So much smarter from every perspective. Certainly for work, financially. I mean, what I've lost financially is insane, but, God, it feels good to be true to myself in every way now and to realize that if I'm leading with my heart, if I'm doing it in what I believe is the right way, leading with kindness, but strength as well. Man, if you don't like me, that's kind of on you, because I'm actually a really nice person and loyal and supportive. If you don't like me because of my opinion, that's on you. It just took half a century to get there, and that's really annoying. But now, because of all the people I was around, including my leadership and bosses and teammates and co workers and peers and people in my personal life, which I've made kind of obvious here. When you live in fear, I can't be around you because I need someone to continue to uplift me as well. Let's make a team. We're gonna do this together. And I shudder at the thought of what my life would look like if I had continued to live in that fear. Whether it be with my opinions standing up about what I thought was wrong with forcing someone to put a shot in their body. That's an experimental, unproven shot. Or even if I had lived in fear of what everyone would think of me for making the decision to end my marriage and where I would be today, even though I have no idea what tomorrow is. I don't know what my professional life is going to turn out to be. I don't know if my little show is going to work. I don't know if I'm going to get married again. I don't know if my kids are gonna hate me or like me tomorrow. Depends on how much I give them for spring break. Like, I don't know, but I'm okay with it. And it's just, I'm so grateful that God has allowed. And it's all God has allowed me to, like, say, trust. That day in the shower, when I saw the angel and the ugly brown marble, like, I feel like it was a turning point. And I have trusted with every aspect of my life, and the fear has gone away. What a blessing to have been canceled 150 times, to have to have been embarrassed intentionally by my company. Intentionally. What a blessing to have lost all the. All the money that was right there on the table for me to take. What a blessing for some family members to be like, she's a nut job. Keep her away. What a blessing to have been called a coon, a sellout. Other names I won't say. People I thought were friends to go away and say, yeah, I'll be friends with her, but don't put it on Instagram. Don't show anybody that I'm having lunch with her. I am. I swear to you. I'm so grateful for every moment because God has been there every step. He always was. I just wasn't willing to see it. Sorry, that was way. That was not sound bite length. I'm very sorry.

[Glenn Beck]

No, no.

[Sage Steele]

No more fear. No more.

[Glenn Beck]

I think. I think that's the most common. I think that's the most human thing that we all have in common is fear. I know I was. You know, I am. I'm an alcoholic. But when I was a practicing alcoholic, it all came from the fear of, I don't want people to find out about this or who I am or I'm not sure I am any good. All of this crap. And we're all just living in fear. And when we admit it and when we let others see it, two things happen. I think at least it in my life. One, you find real people.

[Sage Steele]

Yeah.

[Glenn Beck]

You know, you find people are coming up to you and going, I can't believe you did that. But thank you. Right. And can we get some Kleenex? And the other thing is, you become the most powerful person on the planet. Everybody is afraid of you, and they're afraid of you because they can't manipulate you. They don't. You should be. And I think you probably are the most predictable person in anyone's life because you're so clear on what's true and you're not afraid to walk away. That terrifies people.

[Sage Steele]

It does.

[Glenn Beck]

It's wonderful, isn't it? I mean, not the terrifying them, but it's wonderful.

[Sage Steele]

It is. And I never knew. And every time I've shared a little bit. Probably started in, like, 2018 after the first time I got canceled in 2017. Every time I did, every time I shared something. Thank you. She did a great job on my makeup today, too. Goodness gracious. You'll let me know if it sticks to my face. Every single time I've opened up about anything personally, which I was afraid to. You try to protect your kids, try to protect Everything. I still try to, believe it or not professionally, about the decision to stand up and sue the employer that I loved every time I have received such a gift. And one response from somebody on social media, on an email, at an airport, in a women's restroom, at a restaurant, the number of people now who come up to me, grown men in tears, thanking me because they're afraid to say something about women's sports and keeping men out of them for their daughters, it has overwhelmed me. And that's what I'm trying to do on my little show as well. It's like every time we open up, not only are we helping ourselves, we're helping others. And they say, oh, my gosh, this person that looks like they have it all together and on TV and famous and money and all that, they're going through that too. So I now believe that, like, it is what it is. I don't even care. Think I'm a loser because I cry too much, but you're with me. Exactly. But, like, we are helping others just by being true to ourselves. And that is a gift. And I know that there's some strength in that. But to me, the credit has to go back to my faith.

[Glenn Beck]

Oh, I don't. I wouldn't have done it without faith.

[Sage Steele]

No way. And what you have chosen to overcome and address, whether it's right here or in any other way, it is. That's the win. And I actually think that that's how we all heal and recover as a society, is we stop trying to be so damn perfect and keep it all together and be so like. No, I mean, do you see this hair? Like, there are so many imperfections here that now I just embrace them.

[Glenn Beck]

Stop talking about your beautiful haircut. Look at mine. Look at mine, then look at yours. Stop.

[Sage Steele]

Naturally, mine is the same color as yours. Believe me. No. 100%. I'll show you later. The roots are back here. But I'm so great. This is what I said to my kids, whether it be speaking up, standing up for yourself, or in relationships, please don't waste my pain. Please take my crap and use it and be better and smarter, wiser and fearless, and I'm so glad. And, Glenn, the day before, the day before my lawsuit dropped In April of 2022, I spoke to each of my kids separately to say, this is what's happening tomorrow. One was in college, and then two were in high school. And I just want you to know that this is probably going to be ugly. I don't want you to defend me. This is about free speech. You and I have so much in common.

[Glenn Beck]

I had the same conversation with your kids.

[Sage Steele]

Oh, my God. Like, I just didn't want. I didn't want them to feel the need to defend me because it does get old. And teachers and coaches and other parents would say things to my kids, and I was like, tell them to talk to your mother. And that's when. That's when the ugly sage will come out. Because you touch my kid, I will cut you, I will hurt you, and I'll go to prison for you. But I said, don't defend me. Just remind people that everybody has a right to their own opinion and a diversity of thought. That's all you have to say. And I said, but I'm sorry for what is to come, because I know it's going to be ugly. But just know I cannot be quiet anymore. And I'm so sorry, but I love you. And do you know, each of them received it differently. My son, who's in the middle, I always say, between my two crazy daughters, My saint son, who's like, oh, boy, he's going to be the best partner someday. My son stopped what he was doing, and he looked at me and he said, mom, it's about time you stood up for yourself. He was 17. I thought I was protecting my kids this whole time by staying quiet. And in the meantime, what did they see? They saw me being quiet and afraid and not true to myself and small. And so I'm teaching that. We're teaching our kids to be strong and to do all those things. But what example are we showing them? The opposite. Shame on me. So I knew at that moment that even if Disney won. Hello, David versus Goliath. They could bleed me dry in five minutes.

[Glenn Beck]

One thing they do well is litigate.

[Sage Steele]

Very good. Very well. Even if they won, I actually just won because my kid, they saw me saying, enough. I knew my career there was going to be over. When you sue your company, it's over. And by the way, I was still on Air for 16 months after that lawsuit dropped. So I sued them while on their screen every single day. And it was so scary every day to walk in there and do those live shows. But my kids saw their mom supporting them, supporting everybody and fighting. And so I. I did know at that point that I'm here for more on this earth, to be their mama, Even when I drive them crazy, which is a lot, and to use my voice, I knew I was done at espn. I didn't know what was next, but to help others who also lived in fear. And I know now that that's why God has me here.

[Glenn Beck]

I'm going to give you a list of people and you tell me what they have in common. Andre Botticelli, Steph Curry, Justin Bieber and Tim Tebow. All of their moms were encouraged to end their pregnancies. That's incredible. Now think of the tens of millions that we have snuffed out as a society. My gosh, how many greats did we lose? When a woman faces an unplanned pregnancy, she's often pressured to end her child's life. Most moms do not want to do this, but she wants to make the right choice. Nobody is around helping her. Society is saying that's not really a life. But this is where the Ministry of Preborn steps in. Preborn and their network of clinics offer compassionate, loving care to moms and they support them in their hour of need and their years in need. Honestly, they help them, first thing, choose life by introducing a free ultrasound. Once mom hears the child's heartbeat, she's twice as likely to choose life. Then what's standing in your way? A lot of it is just really basic things. That's why they are there for two years after mom, will you join forces with me and preborn one ultrasound is $28. $140 helps rescue five babies. When you donate monthly, you're going to receive stories and pictures of the lives you helped save. Please dial pound 250, say the keyword baby. Pound 250, keyword baby or visit preborn.com.

[Sage Steele]

Glenn I can say to my new Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, hey, find a.

[Glenn Beck]

Keto friendly restaurant nearby and text it.

[Sage Steele]

To Beth and Steve. And it does without me lifting a.

[Glenn Beck]

Finger so I can get in more squats anywhere I can. 1, 2, 3. Will that be cash or credit?

[Sage Steele]

Credit.

[Glenn Beck]

4 Galaxy S25 Ultra. The AI companion that does the heavy lifting. So you can do you get [e-mail] compatible with select apps. Requires Google Gemini account.

[Sage Steele]

Results may vary based on input.

[Glenn Beck]

Check responses for accuracy. You go back to 1971. Your parents right over here in the dark. That's the Archie Bunker set. That's all in the family.

[Sage Steele]

I love the music.

[Glenn Beck]

That was the first one to really deal with interracial. I mean, 1971, your parents were ahead, way ahead. Your dad was, if I'm not mistaken, the first black varsity football player right at West Point.

[Sage Steele]

Yes, sir.

[Glenn Beck]

I'm trying again. I'm trying to balance this. That wasn't fear. That was not fear. How did you. How did they influence you? Or how did you miss that epic stance from them without fear? Gosh, I don't mean to make you.

[Sage Steele]

No, I love this.

[Glenn Beck]

Yeah.

[Sage Steele]

How did I. Because they.

[Glenn Beck]

You were raised. You're just talking about. You're just talking about. I taught my children. I think I can teach my children and they can learn from my example, but I don't think they actually learn until they face their fire.

[Sage Steele]

Yes.

[Glenn Beck]

You know what I mean? So is that the same with you? Because your parents faced fire? You had to. As a young kid, white mom, black dad, you had to be the odd person out in school. How did you. What happened there?

[Sage Steele]

What happened was the environment in which I grew up was beautiful. As an army kid. Military, it was a safe space. There was a lot of kids who looked like me. There were so many interracial marriages in the military, if you think about it. And everywhere you went in the world, and I lived in four countries by the time I was 11 years old.

[Glenn Beck]

Right.

[Sage Steele]

Everywhere you went, there were kids who knew what it was like to move and to start over and to, you know, okay, now I have to find new friends on the playground and then on your sports teams, et cetera. And so it was the most diverse upbringing because racially and all that, but it was a bubble because we all took care of each other there. And so then my senior year of high school, the army moved us from Fort Carson, Colorado, Colorado Springs, to Fort Benjamin Harrison outside of Indianapolis. And it was my senior year of high school and there was no school. It was a small army post which is now a state park. It's no longer. With the downsizing of the military in the 90s, it changed. And so I went to a public school there in a non military town. And I. Of 1800 students at Carmel High School, I was the only black student. I say biracial, of course, but the only one. And so that was my first time feeling different was as a senior in high school. Not all those years leading up to it. And so I'd been protected and also protected.

[Glenn Beck]

Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

[Sage Steele]

Well, in hindsight, you know, it was my first experience with racism.

[Glenn Beck]

Did you know that it was out there? No, but just not.

[Sage Steele]

No. I mean, yes, I guess, but there was no Internet. You know, it was a different world.

[Glenn Beck]

I grew up in a time. I grew up in a time. I grew up in Seattle and I think there were like four black people at the time. So I didn't. I couldn't relate to the South, I couldn't relate to what that. It just seemed like a distant kind of. You know what I mean? Yeah. So when I moved back east and I start seeing. Oh, oh, oh, there's a real. There's a real split here. You know what I mean? First time I went south and I felt like I was. I remember stopping for gas and I felt like I was in Deliverance, and I'm filling up gas and this guy says, those are Yankee plates. And I'm like, oh, dear God, they're gonna eat me. And I think they have slaves. I don't know what's happening here. I mean, it was just, you know, different way world. So you kind of had the same.

[Sage Steele]

Yeah. Because I was so protected with the diversity in it. Again, it was beautiful. It was perfect in my mind. And then one day I was walking to class and was surrounded by a group of boys who I. One of them, I thought was my friend. And N word, Go back to Africa. Look like a gorilla. Go back. Like, just the ugliest moment of my life up to that point. And I.

[Glenn Beck]

What year was that?

[Sage Steele]

1990. Senior of high school. 89. 90? Yeah.

[Glenn Beck]

Wow.

[Sage Steele]

So, I mean, other people are like, yeah, dumbass, this is how it is in the real world. And I was like, well, it's never what I experienced. And that changed me. And then so I went home and I mean, they cornered me and it was the worst. And I escaped and ran to class and, I mean, they weren't going to touch me, but it was verbal. And so I got home that day from school and told my mom my dad was out of town with military. And we went into school the next day to talk to the principal. And he basically. He looked at me and my mom and said, I don't believe you. It didn't happen. He didn't believe that it happened. He thought we were making it up. So that changed me. My poor mother, who was, you know, I had no reason to make that up. And I named names and they did nothing. And so a couple weeks later, I remember I was walking around school. It did change me. And I had my eyes on the ground. I was no longer this kind of bubbly, like. And this woman tapped me on the shoulder, a teacher. And she pulled me into her classroom. And her name was Agnes Cam. She was the German teacher. I didn't take German. She knew who I was. I stood out, I guess. And she said, I want you to know that I heard what happened and I'm so sorry. And she said, but look at me. She goes, you are doing more for Carmel High School than we can ever do for you. Just by being here. Don't let this affect you. I don't know if I ever saw her again, but I remember that verbatim. And just by staying there, just by being in the classroom and being someone that looked a little different from all these kids in a rich, white suburb north of Indianapolis, by the way, 90% of them were awesome. This is not a referendum on the town. That experience, though, and told I was a liar by the principal, did change my life. But that was, I think, the beginning of realizing, okay, you can be different and still be okay and still have friends and still, you know, and then on to college and then through my career. And at times when mom and dad, you know, the career wasn't going well or the bosses were awful, no leadership, my parents would say, okay, you can't control them. You can control your reaction. When I was little, my two younger brothers, we had to memorize part of the cadet prayer that my dad had to recite 100,000 times while at West Point. And this prayer eventually made me fearless.

[Glenn Beck]

Say it.

[Sage Steele]

Help me to choose the harder right instead of the easy or wrong. And never to be content with a half truth when the whole can be one. Every part of that that meant nothing as a kid saved me as an adult through all the stupid drama at ESPN and Disney, through my marriage, through every day. If you're at the grocery store and you're in a rush, do you want to put the cart back? It's the right thing. Put the cart back right. It's hard to write when you're in a rush sounds stupid. And to not ever be content with a half truth when the whole truth can be one. I mean, I had no choice. At some point, if I'd been reciting this and made my kids memorize it. Harder right. The harder right was what was to say, no Disney, no espn. You are hypocrites, and this is not fair. And I have other friends who feel the way I do, but would never say it because of their. Maybe they're smarter than me for staying silent. But the harder right is what? Is to stand up, even though it cost me everything, literally and figuratively. The harder right is to have that conversation with a friend. The harder right is in your relationships, to be the example for your kids. And if I'm telling my daughters and my son, you listen to this and don't stay comfortable because you think that's what everybody else wants. And Then I'm not gonna. If I say that, but don't live it. Why would my kids ever then become fearless? It's the harder, right. And it sucks sometimes because we know what it is like in here. We all know what the right thing is. It's just easier to ignore it and to not tell the whole truth.

[Glenn Beck]

I'm the whitest white guy you've ever met. And I remember when Barack Obama became president. I think there is times and even I think the intent of a lot of people that were involved in blm. Not the crazies, not the socialists, not the Marxists, but the people who are actually marching going, there's a problem here. I thought that was so healthy and I cannot relate in 1990 that somebody would have said that to you. And that might seem like distant past to some, but it wasn't that long ago. And somehow or another, I think it's just because it became politics. This is the kind of conversation that people need to have where you're actually hearing one another and sharing experiences that the other people I can't relate to. But we just. We don't have these conversations very often. And have we passed the point of being able to, or are we coming. Have we just taken a long circle back to where maybe we were getting to in the early 2000? And maybe it's just my point of view because I thought we were not perfect by any stretch. There is racism. There was and there still is. And it's real.

[Sage Steele]

And there always will be, always will.

[Glenn Beck]

Be, always will opposition in all things. But I felt like we were getting better. And then all of a sudden I felt like, because it became so political, like everybody just built up walls and we're not going there. Are we getting back to a point to where maybe we can have a real dialogue and actually grow from here?

[Sage Steele]

I think so. I have hope. But I'm an eternal optimist and glass half full always. I do think so. I was so sad at how socially and culturally things I think got worse under Barack Obama. I think if we can go back.

[Glenn Beck]

A myriad of reasons.

[Sage Steele]

Yeah, I think we can go back and look at when things changed and when he was, you know, in power. I thought it would be. Listen to me, I did not vote for him. I voted for John McCain. And then I didn't vote for him in 2012 either. But in 2008, I was excited. I didn't vote for him. But number one, he's the commander in chief. That's how I was raised. Military kid. My dad's West Point retired colonel. Absolutely. I support you and supported Joe Biden for that reason, too. If the president wins with, you know, making America great before that was a thing, then we all win. Like, of course you support your commander in chief and that's how I was raised with my father. But in general, like, I understood, I understood why so many people, certainly people of color, were so excited about Barack Obama. To me, it wasn't about race though, because I was thrilled to see, by the way, I thought it was biracial.

[Glenn Beck]

I thought it was me. I remember saying this on the air after he won because I wasn't a fan of him because I think he was a Marxist. He is. But I remember saying he has the opportunity to transcend race. You know what I mean? To be able to say none of that matters. And none of that was done.

[Sage Steele]

None of that was done. To me, it was beautiful to see that on the stage in Chicago with his wife and daughters on that nightly. Beautiful, beautiful. In so many ways, to me, he was just the wrong black president. That's all. Like, it's not about black, white, Asian, female, I don't care. I'm not voting for that reason. Actually. Content of character versus color of skin and what you stand for. I guess again, it only matters when it's convenient for you. Like, I don't know, my grandmother at the time was in her late 80s. My dad's mom, she was black, I mean late 80s, maybe 90 years old. And I remember her crying like, I didn't like that he won, but I respected that for a 90 year old black woman who was born in 1920, what she witnessed. So I get it 100%, he divided instead. And then it continued. And even at the very end of this last political the campaign with Trump and Kamala, even at thewhat did he say to black men at the end? He's scolding them for not voting for her because she's a sister, she's one of us. What? The divisiveness continued and it was intentional instead of saying, you know, just because I'm black doesn't mean that we think alike. Or wait a minute, then you're the racist if you think just that this dictates how we feel or should feel, what we should be doing. And I do think that we're getting back there in some ways having the conversation, remembering. Everybody has an opinion and to me, our opinions are based on what our own personal experiences. So you can't tell me and I can't tell you because you don't know me and I don't know you in that way. Your wife, your first wife didn't know that about your mother. I mean, my goodness. So to judge is so close minded and there's such an obvious lack of tolerance and acceptance and true diversity of thought.

[Glenn Beck]

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[Sage Steele]

Cycle of UC symptoms.

[Glenn Beck]

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[Sage Steele]

You manage the cycle of UC symptoms.

[Glenn Beck]

Call 1-800-526-7736 to learn more or visit tremphyaradio.com so, but is there a place to where tolerance becomes a danger? For instance, I've never had a problem. You want to transgender, you want to do, I don't care. It's not my life, it's your life. I don't care. I think one of the best things about Americans is, live your life. I'll live my life.

[Sage Steele]

I don't care.

[Glenn Beck]

Yeah, I don't care. But because we are tolerant of, of people saying, no, that's a female, when, I'm sorry, it is a dude. Okay? You can't follow the science. You can't change that. So, you know, you look at this and they try to make people try to make you feel bigoted when you're like, no, no, no, it's not about them. It's about my daughter and my friend's daughters. Should there be a transgender league? I mean, I don't even know what I mean.

[Sage Steele]

Like, what's the solution here?

[Glenn Beck]

What's the solution here?

[Sage Steele]

Yeah, first of all, as far as the tolerance, I say, say what you want, do what you want. Great. Identify how you want. And there's rules, and there's rules in society based on that, you know, I mean, I like it when people say, oh, okay, I'm a billionaire, then go ahead and believe that. But have you seen her checking account?

[Glenn Beck]

Right?

[Sage Steele]

Probably not. Like, think, sadly, it's not going to happen. I think that in sports in particular, first of all, it's fascinating that it's only happening going one direction. Are There women trying to go play on the men's volleyball team in college. No, it's only going one way because we know that it's not gonna, it's impossible. Like, it's just not. So women own everything. Own everything. And that includes like right now, apparently in the ncaa. Right. Okay, you can't compete on the same team, but you can still be in women's spaces and women's locker rooms. You still get the benefit. Which means you can take scholarships that are supposed to go to women if you identify as a woman. So let's finish the deal, close the book on that and make it all women all the time there. Because we know that there are basic scientific differences. And over here it's open. Open category. Men plus open. Do whatever you want. But if you were born as a male, you are a male. One of the problems right now with the NCAA is proof of male. Female is your birth certificate. Well, I believe in 44 states you can change your birth certificate. So that's a problem too. It's got to be shored up.

[Glenn Beck]

DNA test. They were talking about where you're going to have people having to check people's, you know, pants. No, we just do a DNA test.

[Sage Steele]

It's so simple.

[Glenn Beck]

Really simple.

[Sage Steele]

If we could do it that quickly, you know, in a drive up parking lot, shove it up to my brain to let me know if I have Covid or not. Like we can do this. And it's actually more simple. So to me that's the solution. And I will never accept people saying that we are anti this. Anti trans, anti gay. No, no, no, I'm not anti anything. I'm actually pro woman number one, first and foremost, which is what you've been telling me. All the feminists out there who are sitting on their damn hands continuously, all the Democrats that voted against the protection of women and girls in sports act recently. Shame, shame, shame on you women. These female politicians who continue to talk out of both sides of their mouths. So that's the solution. Female here, male plus open. And no more women will have to get hurt or lose scholarships.

[Glenn Beck]

I didn't even look at my notes. I have so many things to ask you and I didn't even get to them. You are truly one of my favorite people in the world. I just, I just love you. I just think you are amazing. Thank you so much for coming.

[Sage Steele]

I don't know that you know what that means to me. Thank you. And for always allowing everyone to just be true to, true to themselves. That's what people like you or why have Hope, You've been doing this a long time and you have evolved but not changed that part of you. And that is what makes America great. That's why we're gonna be okay. I have to believe that.

[Glenn Beck]

Just a reminder, I'd love you to rate and subscribe to the podcast and pass this on to a friend so it can be discovered by other.