In recent months, Ryen Russillo has been very open about his contract situation and decisions to be made regarding his future in the industry.
It looks like those decisions have been made, and it won’t see him continue at The Ringer.
The longtime podcast host has been aligned with Bill Simmons and part of The Ringer since joining in 2019. Before that, he was a radio host at ESPN, most prominently forming a successful partnership with Scott Van Pelt.
Russillo talked publicly about his free agent status in a podcast last week, and it may have been a signal that his days at The Ringer were numbered. Now we know that is reportedly true.
Ryen Russillo is leaving Bill Simmons behind to link up with Dave Portnoy.
According to Ryan Glasspiegel at Front Office Sports, Russillo will depart The Ringer at the end of his contract and launch his own production company that will house his podcast. And it will have the financial backing of Dave Portnoy and Barstool Sports.
Ryen Russillo’s time with The Ringer is coming to an end.
Russillo, one of the best-regarded sports talk hosts in the business, is poised to launch a new digital production company when his deal expires, sources told Front Office Sports. Dave Portnoy and Barstool Sports are expected to invest in the company, which will host his new show.
The sides are closing in on a commercial deal for a strategic multi-year partnership with Barstool for distribution, monetization, merch, and other infrastructure in Russillo’s new company. Sources said the deal is “inside the five-yard line” but has not been finalized.
Portnoy all but confirmed the news in a social media post.
The Russillo-Portnoy partnership is a fascinating one in the media landscape. Barstool has never been hotter as a company, having fully entered the mainstream thanks to their new partnership with FS1 and Portnoy now featuring as a college football personality on Big Noon Kickoff (no matter what Ohio State may think about it).
Ryen Russillo has always marched to the beat of his own drum, but it’s interesting to see that he is willing to leave The Ringer at this point in time. Perhaps he feels like he is switching to a better horse in the middle of the race for where the industry is going. Or, he sees himself more aligned with Portnoy and Barstool moving forward.
This leads to a number of possibilities. Maybe the pair host a podcast together? Maybe Russillo is part of the new FS1 Barstool show? Wherever it leads, it’s another example of a sports media personality betting on himself with an independent venture.
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