Maria Taylor’s tumultuous exit from ESPN helped her realize she’s not defined by those four letters, or any other job.
In a TikTok video, the NBC Sports broadcaster was candid about their public breakup in 2021 while addressing her appearance on ESPN’s “ManningCast” with Peyton and Eli Manning on Monday.
“So (Monday) night I was on my former employer’s network, let’s talk about it,” Taylor began in a “get ready with me” video on Tuesday, adding working at ESPN was her “dream job” while in college at UGA.
“I worked for 10 years at ESPN and loved my time there, but the ending came a little tumultuously.”
Taylor left ESPN, where she worked from 2013-2021, after then-colleague Rachel Nichols made disparaging “diversity” comments about her in leaked audio, which was made public in July 2021. She joined NBC Sports that same month.
“But then came a time when I had the opportunity to really decide what I wanted to for my life moving forward and if where I was was the best place for me, and as we all know… it’s hard to go through change,” she said.
“But I knew in my heart of hearts that it was time. I honestly just needed more opportunities to spend time with my family to start a family and at the level I was going and the work that I was doing, I didn’t think I would have the time. I still wanted to work at a very high level, but I just wanted to focus on very important quality events.
“And I also felt like the relationship had ran its course. And it’s so funny because when I was making my final decision, someone was making the case that ‘well if you leave here then you’ll never ever be on television again — like no one will ever see you again.’
“And I remember being like, ‘The ways in which I don’t care whether or not anyone ever sees me again’ — as long as I see checks clearing into my bank account. And at that moment I knew I was onto something else.
“And to be honest, I also kind of felt like it was just time for a brand new challenge. I was getting a little worn out of the same things, and I just wanted to try something new.”
Taylor joined NBC Sports less than a week after her contract with ESPN expired.
“I’m going to be completely and totally honest, I cried. I cried for two straight weeks while I was in Tokyo covering the Olympics, because I literally flew from the NBA Finals to Tokyo and I thought to myself ‘like what have I done, what am I doing here? I don’t know anyone here. It’s COVID,’” she recalled. “I was so sad. But to be honest, I was grieving something.
“I was grieving the idea of what I had for my dream job.and my dream had changed. So I was walking into realizing what the new life would look like, so I was grieving and that took about two weeks.”
Taylor said she’s grateful for that process well as her time at ESPN.
“I’m thankful for maturing and feeling capable and strong enough to walk away and realizing that four letters don’t define me, three letters don’t define me, my job doesn’t define me. I get to define who I am and want to be in this world and if that means I’m changing carers and locations, it means absolutely nothing — and it’s nobody’s business.”
Her video was captioned with, “Let’s talk abut change. Just choose you and let it by.”
Taylor and her husband Jon Hemphill welcomed their son, Roman Ryan Taylor Hemphill, in December 2023.
Taylor is in her third season as host of “Sunday Night Football” for NBC — and became the first full-time woman to host the network’s “Football Night in America” studio show.