Report: ESPN's Paul Finebaum Pulled from Network by Disney After Expressing Interest in Running for Senate as a Republican

Longtime ESPN radio host Paul Finebaum is reportedly off the air — at least temporarily — following remarks about potentially running for the U.S. Senate as a Republican in Alabama.

The claim, which set social media ablaze, originated from OutKick’s Clay Travis, who wrote on X that “Disney/ESPN has removed @finebaum from appearing on @ESPN since his @outkick interview expressing interest in running as a Republican for Senate in Alabama.”

According to Travis, the network canceled all of Finebaum’s ESPN appearances, including regular segments he’s held for over a decade.

Finebaum, 70, has not announced a formal campaign, but told OutKick last week that he’s been approached about running for Alabama’s open Senate seat in 2026 — the same seat currently held by Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who is reportedly preparing a run for governor.

Finebaum said he initially brushed off the idea, but reconsidered after a political insider reached out.

“I was very cautious, I didn’t take it too seriously,” Finebaum said. “And then, ultimately, I ended up talking to someone who made it clear that there was a desire for me to be involved... this person... was compelling and compassionate in the approach to me, and I started thinking about it.”

Finebaum also confirmed that he voted for President Donald Trump and had even met him personally. He recalled that ESPN once killed an interview he arranged with President Trump in 2019, ahead of the Alabama vs. LSU football game.

“I called my boss and they killed [the story],” Finebaum said. “I was devastated. They told me that we are not allowed to mix politics with sports.”

When asked if he thought the reaction would’ve been different had the interview been with former President Barack Obama, Finebaum replied,

“Well I think the answer’s pretty evident.”

Clay Travis slammed ESPN’s alleged double standard, pointing out that ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith has openly discussed the idea of running for president as a Democrat, yet the network “has taken no action in this matter.”

He also noted the contrast with ABC host Jimmy Kimmel, who recently returned to air after a six-day suspension for lying about conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s assassin, writing:

“The left wing rallied around Kimmel’s free speech rights in that case. Will they rally for @finebaum as well?”

OutKick reported that it requested comment from both ESPN and Disney, but neither company has yet provided clarity.

While Finebaum was absent from ESPN’s “SportsCenter” this Sunday — where he typically discusses weekend college football — the network insisted to Yahoo Sports that the story was “TOTALLY FALSE.”

An ESPN spokesperson noted that Finebaum did appear on host Matt Barrie’s YouTube show, which was promoted on the ESPN College Football YouTube channel. The company has not issued further statements about his status.

The conflicting reports have fueled broader criticism that ESPN and its parent company, Disney, continue to apply a political double standard, cracking down on conservative-leaning voices while giving left-wing personalities a free pass.