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Sage Steele is Done Hiding Her Beliefs

The Charlie Kirk Show / Charlie Kirk
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August 18, 2024 5:00 am

Sage Steele is Done Hiding Her Beliefs

The Charlie Kirk Show / Charlie Kirk

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August 18, 2024 5:00 am

After 16 quiet years at ESPN, Sage Steele decided to take a stand against hypocrisy, double standards, and woke infiltration, an her life will now never be the same. Sage talks to Charlie about taking a stand for her faith and her conservative beliefs against a media mob that wanted to take everything from her.

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Hey everybody, it's the end of The Charlie Kirk Show. Sage Steele joins the program, watching her for years on ESPN.

Super smart, godly woman, really emotional, phenomenal conversation I think you are going to love. Become a member today at members.charleykirk.com. That is members.charleykirk.com. As always, you can email me freedom at charleykirk.com and get involved with Turning Point USA at tpusa.com.

That is tpusa.com. Buckle up everybody, here we go. Charlie, what you've done is incredible here. Maybe Charlie Kirk is on the college campus. I want you to know we are lucky to have Charlie Kirk. Charlie Kirk's running the White House folks. I want to thank Charlie, he's an incredible guy.

His spirit, his love of this country, he's done an amazing job building one of the most powerful youth organizations ever created, Turning Point USA. We will not embrace the ideas that have destroyed countries, destroyed lives, and we are going to fight for freedom on campuses across the country. That's why we are here. Why don't you introduce yourself to the audience? How did you get into this crazy conservative world? Oh, yeah, I guess I'm out of the closet now, huh? Well, I'm not or whatever you are. So I am. Yeah. Oh, yes. Um, I am out. It's funny, John McEntee, who have you guys seen the date right?

Yes, for conservatives. Um, he I had him on my show. Sage deal show on YouTube. Thank you. Recently, and he brought swag. He brought a sweatshirt for me that says Republicans are hotter and all the stuff from my daughters as well. And so I was like, you know what, I'm going to wear it and I'm going to post it.

And that was last week. What was the reaction you got when you did? Well, I got like, listen, I don't get the likes that you do. Okay. I mean, I'll say I'll get like on average, like, I don't know, eight to 12,000 likes on a decent poster.

This one, I got 32,000. Well, there you go. I'm like, Oh, and it's like, so true.

So true. Men, women, it was a circle. Long story short, people think because I'm an army kid, my dad's former military West Point. They think I know. Thank you. Not me. It's him.

I'll tell him. But they think, Oh, your dad was in the military. That's why you're conservative. No, my parents. I remember in the 1988 election, were you alive? No, five years before I was born. I swear. You're so young. It's so annoying. Um, I, I remember going to a high school civics, my high school civics class, and then coming home right around election time in 88 and asking my parents, like, let's have a conversation.

Who are you voting for? And they looked at me and they said, none of your business. I kind of like that because they wanted me to go discover my why for whoever I chose to support, especially with college coming up. I graduated from high school, 1990.

So the Bush years and Clinton and all that. So I went on my own and did my homework and research and just have had to be silent about it in order to keep a job. Wow. And so you've had a great career.

Talk about that. And then how'd you end up into this whole space? Yeah. Um, well, you invited me here. So did you know that you invited me?

I did. I saw your RFK interview and that's like, she must come to the believer summit. Well, that was interesting. That was amazing. That was interesting.

I mean, that's the thing with my new show right now. I love being able to talk to people with very different viewpoints. My whole thing is diversity of thought. And I've been pushing that for 15 plus years whenever I've spoken on college campuses wherever, because I didn't, I wasn't out, I keep saying, but I had these beliefs.

I was just, um, I knew that I wasn't going to be able to say it, say what they were on any given topic. So I would just lead with that and give other examples about true diversity of thought. And because we talk about DEI and all these other things. And I think that's easy. This and many other forms of diversity, equity, right. And inclusion. But if we, I think if we begin with diversity of thought, the rest really falls in line. Um, so wait, what was the question?

Uh, how did you find yourself into this crazy world that we're in? Yeah, it's just, I'm as a mother, I have three kids there. As of August 12th, I'm going to be an empty nester.

I have next year, um, in August as freshmen in college, a junior in college and senior in college. So this is it. That's why I'm moving to Florida in six weeks too. Um, full time.

Yeah. Uh, from Connecticut, I was always in Connecticut just because that's world headquarters for ESPN. So from 07 to 2024 in Connecticut, um, because that's where I had to be to, to work. Can you talk about your time at ESPN? Yeah, listen, it was awesome. It was, um, my dream job that I set out to do when I was 11 years old to be a sportscaster. And there were no women doing that then.

Certainly no women who looked like me. And it was this crazy dream that I announced at the dinner table in 1984, literally this time ago, 40 years ago when I was 11 years old, because it was the 84 Olympics in Los Angeles. Again, you weren't alive. There was this thing called the Olympics. That's right. And I remember, I don't remember the Atlanta Olympics in 96.

So annoying. I was three years old. So I don't remember those either. Thank God for the internet.

You can go look it up. No, it was, um, I just knew from a very young age that sports brought people together. I remember, you know, watching football games and on a football Sunday at any stadium across America, you have 70, 80,000 people that for three hours, it didn't matter your race, your gender, your socioeconomic status, your politics, you were just on the same page and rooting for that team. And you're high fiving strangers next to you. And it's beautiful.

And then you leave and all hell breaks loose. You know? So I felt that, I don't know, camaraderie and just happiness with sports. And I wanted to be a part of it. And then I wanted to also know about greatness and to be around some of the best athletes that, you know, that translates into every aspect of life, your mental toughness, your ability to push through uncomfortable moments and fear when you're at the Olympics and you're on the starting line for the a hundred meter dash. Like I know that when I ran the 800 meters in junior high, I wanted to vomit. So I can't imagine being an Olympian. I wanted to know about that mental toughness.

So that's why I did it. And there was 11 years from my first job out of college. Um, till I got to ESPN and then was at ESPN for, what did you learn being at ESPN? As far as studying greatness and the best athletes on the planet. Gosh. Um, that they're just like us.

I was able to humanize them and, um, realized like in interviews, for example, um, they would be nervous and I would have to warm them up. I remember what, like one of my first, probably the first couple of months at ESPN at the time we had Jerry Rice. Do you know Jerry Rice?

I'm a big football fan. Yes. Jerry Rice is a receiver for the 49ers. And I think he also played for Oakland. Good job.

Thank you. Yes. I'm just saying, am I right? Did he play for both the Raiders and the 49ers people? Primarily the 49ers. I'm aware anyone to Superbowls with Montana, right? You know who Joe Montana is? I'm kidding.

I could play sports trivia out of the big majors. What was one with Steve young, right? Yes.

Who I love Steve. He just left. Well, you're right. Yeah. It was one of them. Yeah. Didn't rice wear 81? If I'm not mistaken. 80.

Was it 80? Okay. I'm almost right. So I keep going.

No, we're good. I'm kidding. But at this point I'm, I've been out of it for almost a year and I didn't, by the way, I didn't realize how much I needed a little bit of a break from sports when that's all you see. I wish I could have your job. I want to go do sports for a year and you could go do politics for a year.

And that's not a fair trade. Yeah. I yearn to be able to do sports.

I loved every moment, even when it was, you know, controversial on the backside of it. But I, for instance, Jay rice and Emmett Smith running back for the Dallas Cowboys played college football. I don't know.

Actually it was Oklahoma state or university of Florida. I didn't know that. It's okay.

We're here to help them. Aren't we? He has a hall of Famer though. There you go. And I'm totally getting like, I was doing sports in our segments with these guys and we couldn't do them live because they were not good at it. Really?

Yes. And I say that with respect because just because you are an expert in something and the goat, Jerry rice and a hall of Famer doesn't mean that you can speak it and make that translate on television to millions of people when the cameras are on and live or taped. I feel like he's gotten better though. He's pretty good now.

Oh, Emmett. No, Jerry's Jerry rice. He does interviews and stuff, right? That's different from like being an analyst on TV. Do commentary for Fox or no, I don't know. I don't know.

He might, but this is fans a different animal. And as an analyst though, I'll tee you up with a question. You may or may not know what's coming. And then you have to be able to have a conversation about it from a breakdown analyst perspective, NBA, Tim Legler been there for 24, 25 years, the best. And I, my, my gauge for good analysts is what do I learn when I am done watching that segment? And so if you can't get up here and tell me why they chose to run this play at this moment, sorry, what am I learning from you? Like you were there.

I wasn't, you've been there. So it was incredible to see the best of the best struggle with that part of it, because you can know how to do it, but can you explain it and make it in layman's terms, especially there's been the increase of women who have been interested in football and sports in general over the past 20 years, those numbers have completely skyrocketed fantasy football, almost more women than men play fantasy football now. So, so that's because you love sports, you see the benefits of it, but good analysis matters. And so it was just cool to kind of personalize those guys. And they would ask me for advice, which I was like, Oh, what do I, what do I say? But I will tell you, it did change Charlie, like ESPN from 07 until when I left, which is 11 months ago, changed dramatically.

And in a way that is so unfortunate, because I don't think anybody, I know nobody does it better. No network does sports news better than ESPN, but they chose to take a turn. What, what turn did they take?

I think they've been building up to it for years, but what is Disney? Yeah. And just super woke and a lack of diversity of thought. That's what it actually ended up. What diversity of thought do we need? I mean, so give us politicized it. I mean, they brought politics in. I mean, when Trump was elected in 2016, that was the massive turning point that I noticed when I went on Twitter that night, watching the results come in and being in shock because of what the polls were saying ahead of that, right?

Like not even going to be a thing. And then we're like, wait, what's happening? And I remember looking at Twitter and seeing executives, my bosses tweeting their hatred for Donald Trump and how angry they were that he had just won. And I remember thinking, wait, there might, there are leaders and they're putting that out publicly. What is this?

Because we were told not to, but then when the bosses do it, you go, what the heck is happening? So that's where it began. And then 2020 is when it peaked with, with, with COVID and George Floyd. And literally to me, that's when it was the point of no return. Yeah. And then we had the bubble in the summer of 20 and that was super politicized. NBA for the playoffs and the finals.

That was, it was more politics than it was basketball that summer. I know you have Jonathan Isaac here. Yeah. He's such a special guy.

I mean, he's probably 24, 25. There you go. He's such an incredible, he really is. And I got his courage. I want to give him credit. So this is how amazing Jonathan Isaac is. I say a lot of things, something I said, got taken wildly out of context. And there were so many people pressuring Jonathan Isaac not to speak at this event.

And he was like, no, like, I know Charlie. I don't agree with everything. He says, I'm not going to cancel. I'm still going. And that for an NBA starter to say that deserves so much applause.

I can't tell you that is a big, big, big, huge, huge. And by the way, it's interesting because he's been out now for a couple of years too. And they're still coming after him.

Like he's the one guy, right? Do you all remember what happened in the bubble with Jonathan Isaac? He didn't kneel. He didn't kneel and he just didn't believe in that kind of divisiveness. And so the very night, I mean, he got crushed on Twitter that night, like killed for standing. And the very next day he went out and they played a game. And what happened? He went up and I think he was just going up for a rebound or a block or something. He came down and blew out his Achilles or his ACL. And the internet blew up again. And it was all these people laughing at him and celebrating his injury.

And I actually got emotional reading these tweets thinking this 21, 22 year old kid is reading this now. And it's just the hypocrisy that comes from those people that crushed him or the same ones who crushed me and others is so sick. The problem is nobody calls them out on it in the sports world.

And that's why I want to. Of all the places, though, and thank you for that, where you think that like hyper politically correct wokeism should be inconsistent with the value structure. It's highly competitive athletics because it's a pure meritocracy.

It is high pressure. It is cutthroat. It is market principles employed where you're not you don't have affirmative action in the NBA, nor should you or in the NFL. So why is it that the sports world has been so open and accepting of this value system that is antithetical towards what makes sports so entertaining and excellent?

I don't have I have trust me. I've racked my brain trying to figure out the why behind it. One thing I will say, I don't believe that they all believe what they're saying and what I totally agree with that.

Yeah, it's so different. Smith doesn't believe half the stuff he says. I can confirm that.

Correct. Which makes it maybe worse that I think it's totally worse. I actually think it's a habit to act just to make people happy.

And he's making it, you know, a 13, 15 million dollars a year salary, much less the other stuff. So I like I get it to an extent, but it's also and this is what has killed me through the years. Once you make it to a certain level, like, for instance, Shaquille O'Neal is a great example, who I love. I think he's a great guy. Please silence your phones, guys.

And back to the blue and all those. And he's an army kid as well. One time I was at the NBA finals and I guess spoken out about a couple of things was right after Kaepernick kneeling, like all that kind of stuff began. And I spoke out and I got crushed for it. And I got went back in my little shell because I was afraid. And I have, you know, three kids to support and just as fearful for Mike. Like, there's real fears, legitimate.

And I see why people are fearful. But he came up to me. He's like, hey, Sage, let me tell you something. And I won't continue because I'm bad at that. But he was like, I got you and I agree with you.

And I was like, thank you. And where have you been then? And why haven't you retweeted the hate and been like, guys, we're better than this in particular. And this is controversial, but it's factual in the black community. If you go off script, your people will come after you quite not all the time, quite often.

I've seen nothing over there. It has broken me. It has been probably the most one of the most devastating parts of my overall life. Long before I became a sportscaster because I'm biracial. My mom's white.

My dad's black. And I was never enough for this. Never enough for that. And so you pay reparations. Oh, my God. Oh, my gosh. Yes. Yes.

I didn't even know what those were now. But it's like, wait, what? Like, Shaq has that platform.

Stephen A has that platform to be able to say, you know what? You don't have to agree with her. But why do we crush each other? I don't know any other culture that crushes you if you go off off the script, which, by the way, we're not monolithic. Like, just because I have brown skin color doesn't mean you and I agree with anything.

And maybe we do. But to put people in a box like that makes me sick. And I'm done with that.

So I just I love that. And it makes me crazy. But people like Shaq, those are the men, the Stephen A's who need to speak up more. And it doesn't mean even make us take a stance on certain things.

Forget the racial thing. Like men should stand up for women when they're picked on, period. So like, that's just the principle.

Wait, here's another thing with that. Where are the women standing up for women? I don't expect that's not going to happen.

Like, I mean, listen, I'm sorry, but I'm probably right. But but with this whole transgender sports thing, I know, of course, I'm just like, I'm so mad because I'm like, if women just the female sports journalists across this country came together, literally, and we're like, what are we doing, guys? Because we've been pushing Title nine and Billie Jean K. Everybody's there a lot of that's a power now we're silent. And I have begged my female peers to come together on this because if we did, this would be gone.

We would crush this whole thing. But the fear is real and they stay silent. By the way, this isn't about my controversy. One of my many with the vaccine, the vaccine mandate.

No, no, no, that's okay. You can have opinions on that and the science behind it. This is proven. Men are different than women. Women are different than men.

Why are we not standing up for real hashtag science? Yes. And that's what I don't I can't accept.

I totally agree. And I mean, Shaq works for Turner, I think, right? So does Charles Barkley. But I, I says anything and everything that he wants.

Yes, of course they do. And Barkley goes way off. I mean, and no one cares.

I'm gonna laugh. So it's just Barkley being Barkley, like, whatever. But I know there are legit conservatives that still work for ESPN. I mean, if you had Pat McAfee in a room, he would agree with most of what we're saying, but he's not allowed to say it. Right.

Kirk Herb Street, same thing like Kirk Herb Street is a conservative, but you're not supposed to know that. Right. And a lot.

There's a lot. Right. But it makes me mad because I'm like, why, why was I, and it didn't happen intentionally though, but why, why was I the only one, the only one, these are by the way, big, strong, tough men with a lot of money.

Where are you at? No, that, but this is a, this is, again, that's why I go back to the men of society should stand up against bullies and should say, okay, maybe you're going to cut my salary from college game day. I don't care.

You're not going after Sage or you're not going to go after people that can't defend themselves. That's a core fundamental principle of a society that we've allowed to deteriorate. And ESPN is a beast.

It, the product is better. It's gotten so much worse. I remember, first of all, why'd they ever get rid of, you know, the worst play of the day on sports center. Did you notice that the not top 10?

Why did they get rid of that? Cause Mark Sanchez was like for a year and a half on the butt fumble. Do you know how sick we got of saying and number one again, you know, you guys know this, right? That Mark Sanchez went to university of Southern California and played high school football at mission Viejo high school and was number six at USC and then drafted by the New York jets had the worst play in American history on the Thanksgiving game. Right. It was, I think it was the Friday after the Thanksgiving, the butt fumble. So they would have the worst play and it would always be, I think, voted by the internet or something of the worst play. And it was voted the worst play for like a year and a half straight. Right.

So poor sage. And again, on the not top 10, a play that happened a year ago, and then you guys just got rid of it. I don't, I think they retired it. Yeah. It hasn't come back.

No, but they still do on Fridays. Listen, I haven't turned it on since I left. You know, I don't, I used to watch.

Yeah, I mean either, but it's not even intentional. It wasn't like I'm going to show them. They don't care.

They do not care about me. It's more that, you know, when you know how the sausage is made and I'm watching this and I'm like, okay, I know what just happened there. That's BS. That whole thing. She's smiling. She is the meanest person I've ever met like that.

I'm like, no, no, no. It's just been healthier to step away. But there's a ton of, to your point, a ton of really good people too. But Fridays, I think they still do. They still do the not top 10, which is the best.

Cause they have the funny music. I only, I only watch one non sports programming show on ESPN and that's college game day, which I still think is a great show. Yeah. With Herb street and Desmond Howard and McAfee is a questionable addition, but that's a separate issue. Do you, did anyone watch college game day? Has anyone watched that? Do you guys like McAfee or no on that show?

People say that he's kind of, he like, he frats it up a little bit. I agree. Right. I don't think that it's a good addition, but so are you happier now that you're not at ESPN? I'm so happy. It's weird, but I miss it. I miss, I don't miss 98% of what came with it and those pressures. And frankly, I said this to my actual leaders, the lack of leadership, like from the top down, people that I had good relationships with until I didn't, until I spoke out, you know, um, those same leaders who believe as many people in this room do, um, but chose to remain silent.

And that to me is the, is the problem because again, they're the same ones that are preaching all the DEI stuff, but then they stay silent for that. I just, I wouldn't change a thing. And I really think it's taught me so much about just courage when it shouldn't be courageous to be true to who you are. Unfortunately it is right now, but I do feel as a shift. I do feel a turn. I know that the feedback I've gotten from so many people who are still there and many others on the outside, like I said, on stage, I didn't, I didn't know there was this other world out there. I mean, I was suspicious.

I'm like, Hmm, he seems nice. I agree with this or that, but like you're afraid to go there. And what I found is that people are kind, even if they disagree, I think Twitter and the internet can be real life.

It's not, but that's, what's shoved down our throats. I do also, I know this, that like my decision to stand up when they silenced me, canceled me, took me off my show, suspended me, took this, like all the things it wasn't all I asked for was an apology. I, when I talked to my attorney, finally, who's the same attorney, by the way, that Megan Kelly had that Tucker Carlson currently has even Don Lemon, Chris Harrison, my, one of my dear friends who hosted the bachelor back in the day, we all have the same attorney. If you get kicked by your TV network, we all know who to call.

You call Brian Friedman. And when I talked to him, he was like, absolutely. All we asked for was an apology from Disney.

And they laughed. If they had just apologized and owned it and gave me my assignments back, I would never have, listen, I got divorced. I didn't even use an attorney for my divorce. I should have. So like, I'm the least litigious person. Okay. Sorry.

Too much information. Like I didn't want to do any of that, but I knew what, that if I didn't do it at that moment, like literally say goodbye to frankly, my soul. And with three kids who are watching everything that I do, that was that moment. But when they chose to not, to not do that, to not apologize, then we went forward with it. But literally, if it hadn't been for the way they treated my peers, which was, you can go on NBA countdown and talk about how upset you are that Roe versus Wade was overturned.

You can talk about George Floyd. You can talk about all the politics on NFL NBA sports. And that's why I think of an NBA countdown, you know, like why like abortion politics, why go there? But I go on a podcast on an update to talk about why I'm upset that I'm being forced to take a vaccine to keep my job, not a vaccine, by the way, mRNA, you know, I need to change that.

You're right. This is my own opinion off the platform. Like I wouldn't even wear my cross you guys on TV because I respected the separation.

And as a journalist, I'm not trying to share my opinion on that news program. I'm so excited to be able to wear this cross. Now it has been a lifetime of getting there. But it's so weird. But I just I think all we are asking for is consistency. So back to the leaders at the end of the day, you can't crush me and punish me and literally blow up my career for what I said about my own opinion about being biracial and what has come with that.

That's my experience. And I did not do it on your airwaves specifically. But then let all of my peers do just that to the nth degree. I just wanted consistency and I'm done with the hypocrisy. Otherwise, I would never have sued. And so I'm glad they made those decisions because I wouldn't be here today and no longer having that fear of being true to my listen.

My daughter's in high school, just graduate from high school where you can be a girl today, a boy tomorrow and a cat on Thursday. So like I am done with. So you're fine with that. But I can't talk about my beliefs with a vaccine, vaccine or my experience as a woman of color. Like I'm out.

Which one is it? It's all or nothing. So, yeah, you're able to pull rank as a woman of color as long as it's leftist. Correct. But if you want to be a conservative woman of color, you're you're nothing to them.

Correct. And by the way, if I had said all you anti vaxxers, you're selfish. Like if I had said they would be celebrated, I would still I would still probably be there. And again, that's the hypocrisy.

And if we don't call it out on our platforms, which I never expected to have a voice. I just wanted to talk about sports. I didn't know what it would turn into. But now I literally feel like the two reasons why I'm on this earth.

I have these three beautiful psycho college age kids who are my they're my everything and my why and to speak up. I just didn't know that that would be my path. And God has given me now the confidence to do it.

And most importantly, to get there, I'm finally OK with being disliked. And that was scary. That was that. That's fascinating.

That's so important. I want to emphasize that upon self-examination. Did you always feel the need to be liked? Oh, my goodness. I was such a pleaser.

It's like the worst disease ever. I was such a pleaser and first born and only girl and just perfectionist in every way. And I, I, I, I still find myself doing that sometimes, which is why I don't read comments really good or bad anymore, because it's just it's it's such a waste of time. And I am grateful for the good. But I know that I focus on the one right.

The one bad one. And my mother at one point said to me after the first time I got in trouble in 2017 and it was coming off of Trump being elected and then every other players kneeling. And I'm like, wait, you're complaining about Trump being in there and you didn't even vote.

These are athletes, NFL athletes like just vote and then you can complain. But otherwise, shut up. I don't want to hear it. So I said something to that effect a little bit more polite on Twitter. And that was when I first got in trouble and it was bad. And my mother called me and she's crying and she's tough. And she's like, please just delete the comments.

Just go through, delete it. And I was like, Mom, if I delete that, it makes it look like it didn't happen. People need to see what happens when you are on the wrong side. And so that was the beginning.

You know, that was the beginning of letting go, letting go of the fear of being. I imagine that ESPN, though, there are other people that are very unhappy millionaires where they're being paid a lot of money, but they're being held captive by a woke corporation. And do they communicate with you without any names? You know, do they hear their hear their. But in the day, they. A couple, I mean, some of them, a lot of them were the behind the scenes people who are who are my people, the producers and the researchers and the cameramen and women.

And they're the ones that I don't get the credit for making ESPN what it is. And they thanked me. And I saw someone at the grocery store the other day.

He's like, I wanted to find you before you left. And I'm so I'm so sorry it was more vocal. And like it was an emotional conversation at Whole Foods the other day. You know what I mean? And that's the thing. Like, I get the fear.

I always say that there's huge risk. I left millions of dollars like I did. And the next day, it's like, I don't know where my next paycheck is coming from. I didn't. I don't. I'm starting my new show. You know how long it takes to build. Like, I'm not getting a paycheck right now, but I've never been more at peace, despite having so much responsibility.

Again, three kids in college at the same time. It's just me. So what? Yeah. But I'm sage. I hear from people all the time.

I can't speak out because I don't I need money. I get it. Like, I get it.

And I did have, you know, a nice savings, but like, not forever. And how about just when you make it to the top? Whatever that means. But, you know, years at that network, you make it to the top. You just stay quiet.

You just keep that going until they say no. And it is there is ego involved in everything we do, right? When we built for careers. Like, am I going to be OK? Like not being that face anymore. I was one of the faces of the network. And now I'm in airports. You know, I always have been. But I look at it differently. And I'm walking by every restaurant, every bar, every TV screen in every airport is maybe CNN.

But otherwise, it's all ESPN or ESPN, too. And I'm like, gosh, that twelve to two Eastern. That was me for all of these years. And I thought I would miss it more. And I, I just don't because I didn't realize how it had built up in here. And because I feel like now I'm talking about things that are a lot more important.

You know, I love that. What role did your faith play in all of these decisions? My faith. I've always had a strong faith, but it's another level now.

It is. I remember the day of the decision to get my shot. I got to not say that's right. Get my shot shot, get the shot. And I had to get it by September.

I had to be fully vaxxed by September 30th, 2021, which means two weeks prior. I think he had to get it. And I chose the one shot, whatever that was. And I remember being so upset because I knew if I didn't do it, then I'd be fired. And I got I prayed, prayed, prayed, and I got in the shower.

And I just asked God for a sign one way or another. And I was like, and. I opened my eyes in the shower and on the other side of the glass, there's this really ugly marble tile that I look at it every day, like thousands of times I've looked at that area when I open my eyes, when I wash my hair. And this marble was in the shape of an angel this one time. And I literally started sobbing and I took that as you're going to be OK. Like, I'm not going to let whatever's in this shot hurt you.

And you're doing it for the right reason to keep your job because your kids. So go do it. And that moment. Was insane for me because I asked for a sign, and I think quite often we don't ask for the signs.

Just ask, and then you're looking for a sign to drop, not necessarily. It might hit you in the face, right? The other moment that I want to share that I actually haven't talked about this much is I didn't say this I didn't say this earlier. I took the shot. I did the podcast.

I got in trouble, got suspended, and then I got covid really bad. Like, of course. Right. And effective.

Right. So I'm so sick. My kids and I had just gone through the divorce. It was a devastating time in general in my life as a woman of faith, as a Catholic where divorce is not OK. My own disappoint like so much and the pandemic and all of the things. And I was so sick, Charlie. And I my heart after getting that shot was racing so fast. I literally thought I was having a heart attack or I was dying with the covid. And so I it was three in the morning and I was alone. I'd been alone for eight days. Kids were at their dad like I was alone and I just was going to get in the shower and drive myself to the hospital. And when I got to take a shower, I fell over. I had nothing in me. And I realized that if I fall in the shower, no one will find me. I had my head and I'll be it. And so I got back in bed and prayed that I would wake up the next morning. And I did, obviously, but I'm like my lowest moments is when I've asked for just a sign, not do this for me or don't do this.

Just guide me, just lead me. And those times. And then when I had terrible headlines, terrible headlines, lies that were written about me and I couldn't get off the ground and my mom and dad, who are now 78 and 75, this is three years ago, my dad has two kinds of cancer.

He's not supposed to be around someone with covid at the time, bad covid. My mom and dad, doesn't matter how old you are. They got in their car and they drove up and they lifted their 50 year old daughter, little girl off the ground to say, we've got you and we're doing the next together. And every single day from the end of my suspension to the day I left ESPN, I pulled into the parking lot to go do the show. And my parents, we would say a prayer, Saint Michael the Archangel. Basically protecting you from the wickedness and snares of the devil. And I felt like I had a bubble around me every day when I went in there from people that hated me, that I worked with, from all the fears I had to go be myself while I'm in an active lawsuit, while on national TV with that company every single day. And literally, God got me through every ounce of it. And that's why I have this piece, even though I don't know what tomorrow brings. I would if I were still there, I would never have been allowed to sit with you, to meet so many kind people here at this summit conference for the weekend that you have poured your heart and soul into.

There's so many blessings when you push through fear that I had no idea. And when I was filing the lawsuit and I'll shut up, I promise when I was filing the lawsuit the night before, I went to each one of my kids and said, listen, this is what's going to happen tomorrow. I don't want you to feel like you have to defend me. You don't have to agree with me.

Tell the teachers and coaches who say crap to you, diversity of thought. And my mom has her right. And my son looked at me and I said, I am sorry if anything comes your way.

They've gotten hate. They got death threats because of my opinions on social media, my kids. And my son looked at me and he goes, it's about time you stood up for yourself.

And he was 17. So if we don't. If we live in this fear of trying to please, of trying to protect your kids from difficult things, of losing your job, of losing your money, of losing your status, losing all those things. Friends, my friends circle is like this big now because they left, but it's okay because they were there first season. And that taught me what?

When you do have friends, you know who your people are and you are there for them when they need it too. So it's actually all of this and the cancellations and the hate is such a blessing. And I wouldn't know that without my faith.

Sage Steele, everybody. Thanks so much for listening. Everybody email us as always freedom at charliekirk.com. Thanks so much for listening and God bless.
Whisper: medium.en / 2024-08-18 06:15:37 / 2024-08-18 06:31:35 / 16

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