Ryen Russillo's been one of the biggest names at The Ringer for the past six years, but that appears to be coming to an end.
With his contract set to expire, Russillo is reportedly leaving The Ringer for a new venture that will partner with a rival company. The 50-year-old Russillo has been a part of the sports media landscape for almost two decades, becoming one of the biggest personalities in the industry.
Russillo's reported move is the latest in a sports media industry that has seen much change over the past few years. Here's what you need to know about the news.
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Why is Ryen Russillo leaving The Ringer?
Ryan Glasspiegel of Front Office Sports reports that Russillo is leaving The Ringer to start a new media venture with the backing of Barstool Sports' Dave Portnoy. The deal is not official just yet, but Portnoy has essentially confirmed it on social media.
Russillo's contract with The Ringer is set to expire soon, and there has been much speculation about where the host would go next. He spoke about his contract status on "The Ryen Russillo Podcast" earlier in the week.
"Professionally I have a bunch of great things, but there’s also a lot of professional uncertainty," he said. "This is a different place for me - some of the other times I've done this I know exactly where I'm at."
Russillo has been with The Ringer since 2019, when he left ESPN to join Bill Simmons' media company.
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Who is Ryen Russillo?
Ryen Russillo is a sports media personality who gained prominence during his time at ESPN, which lasted over a decade. He hosted a variety of shows on television, radio and podcasts, including "ESPN Radio College GameDay" and "The NBA Today Podcast."
Most notably, he co-hosted a radio show with Scott Van Pelt called "SVP & Russillo." When Van Pelt left ESPN radio in 2015, Russillo co-hosted a show with Danny Kanell. In 2017, Russillo began hosting his own podcast, "The Ryen Russillo Show," which was featured on ESPN platforms until he left the company in 2018.
A year later, Russillo took his podcast to The Ringer, where he has been a full-time personality since 2019.
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What to know about Ryen Russillo’s new project
Russillo is starting a new media venture with Dave Portnoy of Barstool Sports as an investor. It is unclear exactly what the venture will entail, but Front Office Sports reported that he will have a new show as part of Barstool Sports’ network.