Bill Simmons might be known as “the ultimate sports guy” because of his love for sports and his 16-year-long career at ESPN. But over the years, the 54-year-old has tried his hand at everything sports-related and even ended up founding the pop culture website, The Ringer. However, among his long list of achievements, there is just one dent in his portfolio. Years ago, the podcaster was caught up in an incident that led to his suspension from the cable company.

Now, almost a decade later, the jack of all trades has revealed on the SmartLess podcast, what went down after his suspension ended. He even discussed more about his outstanding career and how he got into sports.

Bill Simmons discusses his comeback to ESPN after his suspension

Recently, Bill Simmons made an appearance on the SmartLess podcast with Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett. Although it was not his first time on the show, Simmons got candid about his career and love for sports. After a brief intro into his early days and the reason behind him becoming a sportswriter, he dove right into one of the lowest spots of his career; his ESPN suspension, which happened back in 2014. During the podcast, the journalist revealed that though the suspension had sent him down a spiral, a lot of doors began opening up for him.

He mentioned that “people reached out” to him and made him open his mind to what he could “create.” Bill Simmons got suspended for 3 weeks and it was because he called an NFL commissioner “a liar.” However, it did well for him as the suspension made him “really triple down on podcasts.” In the interaction, Simmons went on to talk about how the offers and investments coming in, made him think about his plans for when he decided to leave ESPN.

Though the pop culture icon made his way back to the sports cable, it did not stop him from branching out. In fact, in 2015, it was announced that his contract with the channel would not be renewed. It was the end of an era. But Bill Simmons had already built quite a large following with his podcast by then.

The surprising part for the listeners, however, came when the hosts revealed that this was Simmons’ second podcast with them. It left fans wondering what had happened to the first one, but the stars quickly answered those questions too.

Bill Simmon’s first appearance on SmartLess

During the same podcast, the SmartLess hosts ended up revealing that this episode was not the first one Bill Simmons had been on. In fact, they had him on the show back when it was just beginning in 2020. However, because the conversation was mainly about current events, they could not air it a few weeks later. This was not the first time that the podcast had run into issues with their guests and their internet issues.

The trio also had a small issue while getting ready to sit down with Matthew McConaughey. After various technical difficulties, Jason Bateman had a meltdown which led to his now famous, “let’s cancel” phrase. The hosts do not have a lot of luck when it comes to interviewing big shots for the first time. Their second try seems to be the one that works.

What do you think about Bill Simmons’ revelation about his ESPN suspension? Let us know in the comments below.