Since Jemele Hill was officially (and prematurely) freed from ESPN Network, she’s been making moves. In her first official interview since the debacle was finally put to rest, Hill spoke with The Hollywood Reporter to shed some light on a few behind-closed-door details of the situation as well as her new and exciting career ventures.
Hill was first suspended from the Disney-owned network in October of last year, when company deemed that she “violated” their social media policy after a couple of tweets that called President Donald Trump a white supremacist and spoke about the NFL’s response to players who protested during the national anthem. On September 14, she announced her departure.
Though seemingly for putting ESPN in rocky waters, Hill discussed the irony of the network’s backlash. “Mike (Smith) and I specifically were called political, way before any of the Trump stuff ever happened,” she told THR. “And I always thought that was a very interesting label, because frankly, I think that most of the time it was said because we were the two black people.”
READ MORE: Jemele Hill Seals ESPN Departure With Reflective Statement
Now, approximately one year since the incident, Hill is happy to announce that she will be joining The Atlantic as a staff writer, “where the discomfort is okay.”
Editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg shares the same sentiment.
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) October 1, 2018
“She’s interested in something I’ve been preoccupied with for a long time, which is the intersection of sports and race and politics,” said Goldberg. “I think it’s one of the best beats in America.”
“Look, she’s a Roman candle, right? She is fearless, energetic,” he adds. “I like having journalists on our staff who make all sorts of useful trouble, and Jemele, I believe, will make all sorts of useful trouble.”
Along with her new venture at The Atlantic, Hill is currently working on a number of endeavors, including the development of a sports and politics show for LeBron James and Maverick Carter, a production company with longtime friend and The Undefeated journalist Kelley L. Carter, and a scripted series in collaboration with Gabrielle Union based on her friendship with Carter..
READ MORE: Jemele Hill Will Narrate LeBron James New Doc ‘Shut Up & Dribble’