Boomer Esiason: Craig Carton’s ‘show got canceled again?’

If Craig Carton has any hopes of returning to WFAN with his FS1 tenure abruptly ending, that would appear to be news to Boomer Esiason.

After nearly three years with the network, Carton is reportedly headed for a divorce with Fox Sports. Earlier this week, The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand reported FS1 was beginning another lineup overhaul by canceling Carton’s Breakfast Ball with co-hosts Danny Parkins and Mark Schlereth. FS1 shows The Facility and Speak were also reportedly axed by the network.

In the wake of the news that Carton’s show with FS1 was ending, Marchand also teased the idea of a possible reunion with WFAN, a headline that caught Esiason’s attention.

“I also saw where Craig Carton could be reportedly headed back to WFAN,” Esiason told co-host Gregg Giannotti Tuesday morning on WFAN. “That show got canceled again?”

If Carton was looking for some moral support, it doesn’t seem like his former radio partner of 10 years is prepared to offer it. But if Carton is looking for his next job, could he really “be reportedly headed back to WFAN?”

Giannotti questioned Esiason’s implication that Carton already had a show canceled by FS1. Esiason then explained his former radio partner previously hosted The Carton Show for FS1, before the morning program was rebranded as Breakfast Ball last year.

Breakfast Ball was the third attempt by FS1 to build a show around Carton in as many years. In 2022, he launched The Carton Show alongside Cody Decker and a cast of rotating analysts, while continuing as a full-time afternoon host on WFAN. The next year, Carton relaunched his TV show alongside David Jacoby and a rotating cast of analysts, but relinquished his WFAN gig with FS1, believing they would benefit from his exclusivity.

Finally, Carton partnered with Parkins and Schlereth to launch Breakfast Ball on FS1 last year. And after three years of struggling to generate consistent buzz or ratings success, the network appears ready to move on from Carton.

Carton is one of the most talented and successful sports radio hosts in the country. It didn’t translate to TV success. But once he’s free of his FS1 contract, it won’t be long before Carton starts to receive other hosting opportunities.

Without any openings in their weekday lineup, WFAN’s roster seems full. And considering its ratings success paired with the downfall of ESPN New York as legitimate competition, WFAN should feel no urgency in trying to make a reunion with Carton work. But as long as Chris Oliviero is at the helm of WFAN, a reunion with Carton will seem possible. Oliviero was eager to bring Carton back to WFAN after he was released from prison in 2020, so it’s certainly reasonable to believe it could happen again once he’s officially released from FS1.