John Skipper has resigned from his top position at ESPN and co-chairmanship of the Disney Media Networks. Skipper had recently signed a contract extending his leadership to 2021.
"Today I have resigned from my duties as President of ESPN," Skipper said in a statement released on Monday. "I have had a wonderful career at the Walt Disney Company and am grateful for the many opportunities and friendships."
"I have struggled for many years with a substance addiction. I have decided that the most important thing I can do right now is to take care of my problem," he said.
George Bodenheimer, Skipper's predecessor at ESPN who was president from 1998-2011, will take over as acting chairman of the company for the next 90 days.
"I've stayed in close contact with John, and I believe in the direction he's taking ESPN," said Bodenheimer. "He's assembled an outstanding leadership team — many of whom I know very well — and I am extremely confident we will work together effectively to move ESPN forward during this transition."
The company made news earlier this year after SportsCenter anchor Jemele Hill called President Trump a "white supremacist" in a tweet. Trump responded to the comment on Twitter, calling on ESPN to "apologize for untruth" and claiming the network "is paying a really big price for its politics (and bad programming). People are dumping it in RECORD numbers."
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