FOX News Media Launches 'the Girls' Podcast, Debuting Oct. 1 With 5 Female Hosts

Q: Will former ESPN host Samantha Ponder use this new uncensored platform to finally reveal the truth about her abrupt firing?

Possibly, but there is no evidence yet that Samantha Ponder plans to fully detail her ESPN exit on Fox News’ new podcast. What is clear is that “The Girls” is being marketed as an unscripted, candid, “no-holds-barred” conversation show, and Ponder is part of the premiere episode. That format could give her more room than a traditional studio role to discuss her career, media treatment, or departure from ESPN if she chooses. Ponder has already publicly shared part of her account. In posts reflecting on Suzy Kolber’s layoff, she said ESPN informed the public through leaks before properly acknowledging her departure, and that she learned she was out through a New York Times notification on her phone after 14 years with the company. Those remarks suggest lingering frustration and indicate she is willing to discuss the way the firing was handled. Still, there is a difference between criticizing how a layoff was communicated and “finally revealing the truth” behind why it happened. Reporting around her 2024 exit tied it to ESPN cost-cutting layoffs, and no verified new explanation has emerged in the material provided. Unless Ponder chooses to go beyond what she has already said, the podcast may produce stronger personal commentary rather than a major new disclosure. So the platform creates the opportunity, but whether she uses it to offer a fuller account remains speculative until the episode airs.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 28

Oct. 1 will mark the debut of "the Girls," a new FOX News Podcasts series built around female voices from news, politics, sports, comedy and culture.
The premiere episode features five hosts—Rachel Campos-Duffy, Harris Faulkner, Kat Timpf, Melissa DeRosa and Samantha Ponder—with new episodes scheduled every Thursday.
FOX said the show will use a rotating cast of co-hosts and an unscripted format covering topics from politics and pop culture to money, marriage, parenting and careers.
The launch extends FOX News Media’s podcast lineup, which already includes shows such as "Hang Out with Sean Hannity," "Ruthless," "Will Cain Country," "Planet Tyrus" and "The Riley Gaines Show."
"the Girls" will be distributed across FOX News Digital, YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts as the company pushes to broaden audience engagement through its new media division.