Ryen Russillo appears to be on the verge of leaving The Ringer. A report from Front Office Sports says that the ex-ESPN radio host will launch a new digital production company with help from Dave Portnoy and Barstool Sports.
Shortly after the story was published, Portnoy tweeted that he would not confirm or deny the report, "but gun to head I'd probably confirm it." An hour later he retweeted a clip from Russillo's latest podcast episode saying, "Welcome to the family @ryenrussillo."
According to the story by FOS's Ryan Glasspiegel, Portnoy and Barstool will be investing in the new company and are "closing in on a commercial deal for a strategic multi-year partnership with Barstool for distribution, monetization, merch, and other infrastructure."
Russillo spent more than a decade with ESPN before joining Bill Simmons at The Ringer when his contract expired in 2019. With The Ringer he's hosted a popular eponymous podcast and made regular appearances on The Bill Simmons Podcast.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Ex-ESPN Radio Host Leaving The Ringer to Start New Company With Barstool Sports.