Britt McHenry to Return to ESPN After 1-Week Suspension Over Insults Against Lot Clerk

The 28-year-old sports reported had berated the woman about her education, intelligence, job and appearance

By Corinne Heller Apr 23, 2015 6:48 PMTags
Britt McHenry, ESPNESPN

You may see ESPN's Britt McHenry back on the air this weekend.

The cable network had put the 28-year-old, who has worked for the cable networks as a Washington, D.C.-based sports reporter for more than a year, on suspension for one week after a shocking, expletive-filled video showing her ranting and insulting a towing company lot clerk was posted on LiveLeak and went viral.

She is due to return to work this weekend, an ESPN rep told E! News on Thursday, adding that "it's not yet determined when or for what event, due to playoff schedules and reporter commitments." McHenry has not commented.

Sports Illustrated reported that McHenry will travel to St. Louis to report about the Rams during ESPN's coverage of the opening round of the NFL draft next Thursday, April 30. The outlet said she is also due to appear on SportsCenter and some NFL-related programs in the immediate days prior to the draft.

The outlet also quoted ESPN Senior Coordinating Producer Seth Markman as saying that she will also resume her role as reporter for the NFL season. The preseason begins in August and the regular season starts a month later.

The video, which is edited, was posted last week and spurred an expletive-filled Funny or Die parody starring David Spade.

The original footage shows McHenry insulting a female towing company clerk. Such workers often witness rude behavior from people frustrated about paying hefty fees to release their towed cars. McHenry's comments towards the person, Gina, are particularly insulting and personal—she berates her about her education, intelligence, job and appearance.

"I'm in television and you're in a f--king trailer, honey," she says. "Lose some weight, baby girl."

She threatens to sue the company, to which the clerks responds, "That's fine and I'll play your video, so careful."

Last Thursday, after the clip went viral, the ESPN reporter tweeted an apology, saying, "In an intense and stressful moment, I allowed my emotions to get the best of me and said some insulting and regrettable things." Less than an hour later, a rep for the cable network announced on Twitter that she would be suspended for a week.

"She's owned up to it," Markman told Sports Illustrated. "I think she is just really anxious to get back to work."

He added that he thinks McHenry "has a lot of potential as a reporter."

"She did a great job for us on the NFL last year in some difficult situations and I have seen nothing that doesn't make me think she will rebound from this," he told Sports Illustrated. "But she knows the first couple of assignments out of the box will not be easy." 

The towing company, Advanced Towing, had said in a statement that the video was "not licensed or sold to anyone" and that they and the clerk did not "have any interest in seeing Britt McHenry suspended or terminated as a result of her comments."

"Gina is a single mother of 3 children who works a difficult job to provide her family," the group said, according to The Washington Post . "Gina holds no ill will toward Ms. McHenry."