Despite insistences that he’s still a part of the show — and his name still being on it — it’s been months since Jon “Stugotz” Weiner last appeared on The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz.
But while many understandably viewed his recent partnership with FanDuel as a de facto split from the DraftKings-sponsored program, Stugotz says that’s not the case. Appearing on Tuesday’s episode of Wake Up Barstool, the longtime radio host revealed that he’ll return the Meadowlark Media flagship show in the next month and a half.
“Naturally, I did the show with Dan for 20 years. I’m still doing the show with Dan,” Weiner said. “I’ll be in there for a bunch of shows coming up in the next 30-45 days or so.”
Stugotz’s comment provides some clarity regarding his status with the show, which has been the subject of speculation for the better part of the past year. As Meadowlark Media’s previous distribution with DraftKings neared its end in May, reports indicated that Weiner would be taking a reduced role with the company that was co-founded by Le Batard and ex-ESPN president John Skipper.
At the time, Dan Le Batard downplayed such reports, stating that his longtime co-host was merely busy building up his own properties. Still, Stugotz certainly didn’t seem happy that his God Bless Football podcast wasn’t included in Meadowlark’s renewal with DraftKings, publicly blaming David Samson.
In the months since, Weiner has largely been absent from Meadowlark Media programming. In August, he launched a new daily show called Stugotz and Company, which along with God Bless Football is sponsored by FanDuel.
“Stugotz and Company has been a blast,” Weiner told Wake Up Barstool. “When you do a show with someone like Dan, a lot times you’re going down the road that he wants to go down. And what I find liberating about this is I choose the road that I want to go down. And so I’m not so much reacting to what he’s saying and what’s interesting to him. I am choosing what’s interesting to me.”
Moving forward, it will certainly be interesting to see how Weiner’s role with Meadowlark coexists with his own emergin projects. But if nothing else, we now know that his presence on The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz won’t be in name only for much longer.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.