Former ESPN anchor Sage Steele claims ‘140-year-old’ Barbara Walters ‘tried to beat me up’ backstage at The View

Former ESPN anchor Sage Steele alleged that Barbara Walters tried to “hit” her backstage in 2014.

Sage, who recently left ESPN following a settlement with the sports network, claimed she had a run-in with Walters, who died in December 2022 at age 93, backstage at The View in 2014.

“It was Barbara, Whoopi (Goldberg) and myself in the dark green side room,” Steele recalled on Thursday’s episode of “The Megyn Kelly Show.”

“I was probably five feet from the wall and the garbage can, and Barbara was standing right here in front of me. She just started backing up to me and looked at me and got closer and elbowed me, and it pushed me back against the wall and the trash can,” Steele claimed.

“I was like, ‘What did (she) just do to me? This 140-year-old woman was just trying to tackle me.”

“Some producers have seen it. Whoopi saw it,” Steele continued. “And Whoopi was like, ‘Come here.’ She was great. She pulled me aside in her little space and she said, “Don’t let her do it.” And I’m like, ‘Am I in a movie right now? One of the legends in this industry just tried to beat me up!”

In a statement to The New York Post, a representative of Walters’ estate said, “I find this impossible to believe and unusual for Barbara!”

Steele’s claims come just days after she left ESPN after 16 years with the sports broadcasting giant.

“Life Update,” began Steele’s post on X, formerly Twitter. “After successfully resolving my case with ESPN/Disney, I have decided to leave so that I can exercise my first amendment rights more freely. I am grateful for so many wonderful experiences over the past 16 years and look forward to my next chapter!’

Steele sued the network in April 2022 after alleging that ESPN violated her First Amendment and free speech rights in Connecticut by suspending her over comments about former President Barack Obama and the COVID-19 vaccine.

The ban was issued in October 2021 following Steele’s interview on Jay Cutler’s podcast, in which she rejected COVID-19 vaccine mandates, criticized women for dressing provocatively, and challenged Obama’s claims that he is African American.

Terms of the settlement were not disclosed. Front Office Sports previously reported that Steele was offered $501,000 by the network to have her lawsuit dropped.

Steele apologized at the time of the suspension.

“I know my recent comments have created controversy for the company, and I apologize,” she said. “We are in the midst of an extremely challenging time that affects us all, and it is more important than ever that we communicate constructively and thoughtfully.”

However, her lawsuit accused ESPN and its parent company, Disney, of forcing her to apologize against her will.

“In a knee-jerk response, ESPN and Disney relied on the misleading characterizations of her comments, bowed to groupthink and forced Steele to publicly apologize and suspended her for a period of time in October 2021,” the lawsuit read.

Steele’s interview with Megyn Kelly was her first appearance since her ESPN exit, and she was visibly emotional as she discussed her experience.

“All I ever wanted was consistency,” said Steele. Steele criticized ESPN for allowing liberal colleagues, such as Malika Andrews, Elle Duncan and Sarah Spain, to voice their perspectives both on air and online, but instead took Steele off the air for comment on Uncut with Jay Cutler.

“I should be able to express my opinions about my experiences in person in my personal time, without telling others what to do or how they should feel about being biracial or being forced to take a vaccine,” she said. ‘And I think that’s what breaks my heart; is that there were different rules for me than for everyone else.’

More recently, Steele has had issues with trans women in sports.

In March, Steele slammed the decision to allow transgender athletes to compete in USA Powerlifting’s women’s division after the sport’s organization lost a four-year discrimination lawsuit brought by a translifter.

Steele said the decision is “unfair to women” and pointed out that it was “ironic” that it was made during Women’s History Month, which began March 1.

‘Unfair to women. And the irony of this decision being made during Women’s History Month…” Steele tweeted. “The hypocrisy continues.”

Then in May, Steele was criticized for defending fellow athlete Sam Ponder over bigotry charges after the ESPN anchor claimed it was unfair to ask young girls to compete against athletes who were male at birth.

“I have hardly said anything publicly on this matter and I have had so many ppl messages, stop me on the street to thank you + tell me stories of girls afraid to speak for fear of lost job / being called hateful (sic),’ Ponder wrote.

USA Today’s Nancy Armor responded with a tweet and related column, rejecting Ponder’s claim that she was defending women and instead claiming that the ESPN host was promoting bigotry.

Steele, however, defended Ponder on Twitter: “Pathetic attack on a WOMAN just fighting for other WOMEN in sports. @nrarmour chooses to lead with her emotions vs facts. ‘Follow the science’, right?! When in doubt, just pull the bigot/race card! Comical. Stay strong @samponde ..this is a lonely fight but worth it!’

The daughter of the first African-American volleyball player in West Point history, Steele was born in 1972 in the Panama Canal Zone, where her father was stationed at the time. She also lived in Greece and Belgium before moving to Colorado in 1984 and graduating from Indiana University in 1995.

Her broadcasting career began in South Bend, Indiana, home of Notre Dame, and she went on to work in Indianapolis, Tampa, and Bethesda Maryland before joining ESPN in 2007.