Bill Simmons says he and Pablo Torre ‘got to a good place’ after short-lived beef

Bill Simmons and Pablo Torre had a very public disagreement earlier this year. Now, Simmons is praising Torre’s work in a new Washington Post feature.

The Post published a lengthy profile of Torre over the weekend, examining how the Meadowlark Media host has turned Pablo Torre Finds Out into one of sports media’s most influential podcasts through investigative reporting and breaking major stories. In the piece, Simmons addressed their earlier beef over Torre’s coverage of Bill Belichick and Jordon Hudson.

“I didn’t like his Belichick stuff and said so. He disagreed,” Simmons told The Post. “So we did a pod and argued about it, and we both enjoyed it and got to a good place.”

That’s a pretty matter-of-fact summary of what became one of 2025’s stranger sports media feuds. In June, Simmons took an unprovoked shot at Torre during an episode of The Rewatchables focused on the 1978 film “Heaven Can Wait.” Simmons ripped Torre for his reporting on Belichick’s relationship with Hudson, saying he’d “never seen anybody dine on a stupider story for a week and a half while pretending you’re a journalist.”

Torre responded by inviting Simmons onto his podcast to defend the work. Simmons accepted, and the two hashed things out in a June episode that became one of the most-listened-to episodes of either of their podcasts that month. Torre emerged from that appearance looking like the clear winner, with Simmons coming off as someone letting his Patriots fandom cloud his judgment about what constitutes legitimate journalism.

But the Washington Post feature shows Simmons can separate his personal feelings about specific stories from his appreciation for Torre’s broader body of work.

“I also thought the reporting Pablo and his staff did on the NFL Players Union and [Clippers owner Steve] Ballmer was great,” Simmons added.

Those stories represent the kind of investigative journalism that’s made Pablo Torre Finds Out essential listening. The NFLPA story exposed dysfunction within the union’s leadership. The Ballmer investigation, which broke in September, revealed evidence that the Los Angeles Clippers and Kawhi Leonard seemingly circumvented the NBA salary cap with a $28 million no-show endorsement deal.

That Kawhi Leonard scoop particularly vindicated Torre after the Simmons criticism. While Simmons questioned Torre’s journalistic credibility regarding Belichick and Hudson, Torre and his team were working on a story with actual salary-cap implications that sent shockwaves through the NBA.

Simmons can still think that the story was stupid while respecting Torre’s work on stories that carry more weight. And Torre can appreciate that Simmons, despite being “The Sports Guy” with obvious Patriots loyalties, ultimately judged his journalism on its merits rather than holding a grudge.

The Washington Post feature comes as Torre has reached new heights in his career. Pablo Torre Finds Out signed a seven-figure deal with The Athletic earlier this year, and the show continues to break major stories while building a devoted audience, as the Post calls “anti-establishment sports nerds.”

Simmons knows something about building a media empire from that same demographic. He did it with Grantland and later The Ringer before selling to Spotify for close to $200 million. If anyone can recognize what Torre’s doing and why it works, it’s Simmons.