How Katie Nolan went from blogging in her grandmother's condo to ESPN's newest star ·

11 Aug 2024, 00:00

On Wednesday, ESPN confirmed a Sports Illustrated report that the popular media personality was hired by sports network after she was released from her deal with Fox.

While Nolan's specific role at ESPN is not yet clear, Nolan has used her passionate rants and incisive commentary to build a huge following. And yet, the Massachusetts native is still a bit of mystery.

Below we will take a look at how Nolan became ESPN's newest star.

After spending the past four years with Fox Sports, Katie Nolan is headed to ESPN. The company plans to use her across multiple platforms and projects.

Nolan has become a recognizable face in the world of sports media, but her path to prominence was anything but traditional. After graduating from Hofstra University in 2009, she moved to Boston and began working as a bartender.

In a 2014 interview with Sports Illustrated, she called bartending "the only skill I can confidently say I have."

Nolan started her first blog, called "Bitches Can't Hang," while living in her grandmother's condo. The blog focused on news and pop culture.

In 2011, Nolan was recruited by Guyism to host a daily video series. She managed to negotiate her way from an initial offer of $750 a month to a full-time gig paying $30,000 a year.

At Guyism, she hosted and produced videos on a variety of men's lifestyle topics — including the ones listed below.

In 2013, Fox Sports invited Nolan to audition for an on-air role. She says the audition went poorly, but the executives hired her anyway, assigning her to "Crowd Goes Wild" alongside Regis Philbin.

Nolan had a memorable reaction when she found out she would be working with the then-82-year-old Philbin: "I was like, What the f---? He’s still doing TV?"

In 2014, Nolan recorded a video of her take on the Ray Rice domestic violence incident, saying that the media was partly to blame for the NFL's failure to hold the running back accountable for his actions. The video was referenced in a New York Times article, adding to its already wide circulation.

While recorded under unfortunate circumstances, the video was a major star turn for Nolan. It earned her widespread praise from a variety of outlets, including non-sports publications.

The following spring, Nolan got her own show on Fox Sports: "Garbage Time with Katie Nolan." The show won a Sports Emmy for Outstanding Social TV Experience in May 2016.

"Garbage Time" drew tons of praise for its fresh take on the sports talk show format. The Atlantic referred to it as "a distillation of Nolan’s witty, sometimes sarcastic, always hyper-knowledgeable sportscaster persona."

She's conducted some great interviews, including this one with Julian Edelman.

She's also met countless other athletes and celebrities, from Odell Beckham Jr...

...to Snoop Dogg.

Nolan's fast success created a lot of buzz among sports media circles. On a 2015 episode of the "BS Report" podcast, Nolan and Bill Simmons of Grantland alluded to past negotiations to bring Nolan to the ESPN-owned site. Nolan and Simmons have a number of things in common, including their Boston roots and blogging pasts.

Soon after, The Big Lead reported that Fox Sports had been in talks with ESPN to trade Nolan for soccer play-by-play man Ian Darke. Sources said ESPN would have agreed to the deal but reneged when Fox asked them to throw in NASCAR reporter Marty Smith.

While Nolan has made her career in sports media, she's not afraid to try out other arenas. In 2015, she teamed up with United Airlines to host their web series "Big Metal Bird."

In 2016, she appeared on an episode of Comedy Central's "Drunk History," telling the story of how Theodore Roosevelt saved the sport of football.

"Garbage Time" was cancelled by Fox Sports in February 2017. The network used Nolan sparingly in the months after, and in September, Sports Illustrated reported that she had asked for an early release from her contract.

Nolan was hired by ESPN in October. Network executive vice president Connor Schell called her "a rare talent [who] will represent our brand incredibly well as we continue to expand across the digital space."

While specific plans for Nolan have yet to be announced, ESPN will surely want to get the most out of their new star. One possibility is that Nolan will become the face of ESPN's efforts to increase and improve their digital presence.

Until then, take a look at the scandals that have plagued Rick Pitino's career.

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How Katie Nolan went from blogging in her grandmother's condo to ESPN's newest star

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