CNN+ adds Cari Champion, Jamele Hill as hosts of weekly show

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Former ESPN personalities Cari Champion and Jemele Hill are joining CNN+ to host a weekly show for the streamer.

The program, entitled “On Cari & Jemele: Speak.Easy,” will feature the duo in a format where they will “toast and roast the stories that have everyone talking. From the biggest stories in sports, entertainment, politics and culture, they’ll tell you how they see it,” according to CNN.

“I’m so thrilled to join CNN+. The beauty and authenticity of my friendship with Jemele has always been at the heart of our creative partnership,” said Champion in a statement. “I couldn’t be more excited to be part of the CNN family and share our brand of ‘speakeasy’ with the world.”

“I believe the old adage is that if you work with one of your best friends, then you’ll never work a day in your life. While I made that up, there’s a certain magic that happens when Cari and I collaborate together,” Hill said in the same statement. “The CNN family is a perfect partner for us because they understand our chemistry and appreciate that our boldness is our strength.”

The pair join CNN+ after collaborating on weekly talk show “Cari and Jemele (Won’t) Stick to Sports” on Vice TV.

Both spent a number of years at ESPN; Hill spent nearly 12 years hosting “SportsCenter,” “His and Hers” and writing for The Undefeated, while Champion spent 8 years at the network in roles that included co-hosting “SportsCenter Coast to Coast,” host of “SportsNation” and moderator of “First Take.”

Hill joins CNN+ from The Atlantic where she is a contributing writer. She also hosts the podcast “Jemele Hill is Unbothered” on Spotify.

Prior to joining ESPN, Hill was the only African American female sports columnist in the country while at the Orlando Sentinel and has also covered sports for the Detroit Free Press and the Raleigh News & Observer. In 2018, the Emmy Award winner was named journalist of the year by the National Association of Black Journalists.

Champion is the host of podcast “Naked with Cari Champion” for iHeartRadio. Most recently, she was host of Turner Sports’ “The Arena,” which aired on TNT. In addition, she served as primetime co-anchor of “Tokyo Tonight” on NBC’s Peacock Channel during the delayed 2020 Summer Olympic Games in 2021, as well as co-host for Season 2 of NBC’s reality competition series, “The Titan Games.” Champion was host for the Tennis Channel and also served as courtside reporter for the network.

The new show will be available at launch, but a schedule was not released by the network.