The changes keep coming for The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz and Meadowlark Media. The titular costar Jon “Stugotz” Weiner is reportedly the latest host to take on a smaller role at the company.
According to Barrett Media, Stugotz is “in the midst of negotiating a deal under which he would make a certain number of appearances on the show for the year.” Additionally, Stugotz is expected to take his podcasts with him as part of his scale-down.
As Barrett notes, Stugotz recently launched his own YouTube channel. Last week’s episode of Stugotz’s long-running NFL podcast God Bless Football was posted to the channel.
This move from Stugotz comes around Meadowlark co-founder John Skipper also leaving the company. News of Skipper’s departure was reported earlier Friday, and Le Batard confirmed it with a salute to Skipper.
Over the past several years, Stugotz has been open about his interest in expanding his career beyond the Le Batard extended universe. Though he plays a jester character on-air, Stugotz launched WAXY in Miami two decades ago. During the show’s run at ESPN, he appeared on radio, television and game broadcasts.
Last year, Stugotz was a finalist to be the program director at WFAN in New York City. Though he turned down the job, he reiterated to Awful Announcing and on DLS he would take an on-air position at the station in a heartbeat. Stugotz added then that he also wanted to be with DLS and Meadowlark Media to help celebrate the show’s 20th anniversary, which occurred last fall.
More recently, Stugotz opened in an interview with Meadowlark host David Samson on how he felt “trapped” in his Stugotz character.
“Maybe people question because I’m so deep into the character as to whether or not I could drive a show and do so and have success driving that show,” Stugotz told Samson. “I know that I can. I don’t know if I’ll ever get those opportunities, because I am trapped in this.”
Stugotz acknowledged in that interview that he would like to “challenge” himself in a different role at some point before retiring.