ESPN denies reports that Paul Finebaum has been barred from ESPN networks after his interest in Senate run

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Have Paul Finebaum’s ESPN appearances been limited since he said he’d be interested in running for the United States Senate?

On3’s Pete Nakos has confirmed a report from OutKick that Finebaum is currently not appearing on ESPN-branded networks. The outspoken talk show host was not on SportsCenter on Sunday; he typically appears on ESPN’s flagship show on Sunday mornings to discuss the previous day’s college football action.

A spokesperson for ESPN said that OutKick’s original report was “TOTALLY FALSE.” Though Finebaum was not on SportsCenter, he did appear on ESPN host Matt Barrie's YouTube show over the weekend. 

Finebaum hosts a four-hour show on the SEC Network — a channel owned by ESPN. He also appears on the SEC Network’s Saturday pregame show; he was in Gainesville for the pregame show over the weekend and hosted the Friday edition of his talk show in Florida.

The 70-year-old told OutKick a week ago that he was interested in running for Alabama’s open Senate seat in 2026 as a Republican. The seat is currently occupied by former Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville — a man who was on the receiving end of Finebaum criticism during his coaching career — but Tuberville is leaving the Senate to run for governor.

“I was very cautious, I didn’t take it too seriously,” Finebaum said when he was approached by someone involved in Alabama politics. “And then, ultimately, I ended up talking to someone who made it clear that there was a desire for me to be involved. And this person, obviously who shall remain nameless, was compelling and compassionate in the approach to me, and I started thinking about it.”

The primary for the November election is set for May. The filing deadline for the primary is Jan. 23, but Finebaum will likely need to make a decision much sooner than that to get a campaign network up and running.

Finebaum has been an ESPN employee since 2014 when ESPN launched the SEC Network. His talk show has been a fixture in Alabama and across the southeast for over three decades as a place for fans of SEC schools to trash talk each other and vent their frustrations publicly.