When ESPN announced a number of high profile layoffs this summer, the most surprising name among them was Suzy Kolber, who had been with the network for 27 years and was the longtime host of Monday Night Countdown. Keyshawn Johnson was also part of ESPN’s layoffs, and it became clear that the network was going to be making wholesale changes to its NFL studio show lineup alongside big changes to NBA broadcasts.
On Monday, ESPN finally announced its new Monday Night Countdown crew, headlined by Scott Van Pelt taking over as the new host of the show. Van Pelt will be joined by two new analysts in Ryan Clark and Marcus Spears, who have become two of the best at ESPN, with Robert Griffin III remaining from last year’s group alongside Michelle Beisner-Buck doing features and Adam Schefter handling news and notes from around the league. Larry Fitzgerald and Alex Smith will also be occasional contributors, joining the show at various points during the season.
Scott Van Pelt is the new host of Monday Night Countdown. Joining him on MNCD for the first time will be Emmy-winner Ryan Clark and Marcus Spears, while Robert Griffin III, Michelle Beisner-Buck, Larry Fitzgerald and Alex Smith also return to the show.
MNCD tonight at 7 pm. pic.twitter.com/MpKWdK6gpx
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 21, 2023
Overall it is certainly a younger look for the show and it’ll be interesting to see how much they change things up with the structure and format — i.e., will they look for new segments or stick with longtime bits like C’mon Man. One reason for the delay on the announcement may have been hammering out the full details on a new contract for Van Pelt, who ESPN has re-signed to join Countdown while also remaining in his midnight ET timeslot for SportsCenter most nights, including the postgame SportsCenter live on site after Monday night games. Clark and Spears will also continue their work on NFL Live, as ESPN looks to consolidate its talent across shows.