Former ESPN anchor Sage Steele alleges Barbara Walters 'tried to beat me up'

Sage Steele, who announced her departure from ESPN earlier this week after 16 years with the network, claims the late Barbara Walters assaulted her backstage during an appearance on ABC‘s “The View.”

Steele made the allegations during Thursday’s episode of “The Megyn Kelly Show.”

“It was Barbara, Whoopi [Goldberg] and myself in the dark green room off to the side,” Steele said, via Variety. “I was probably about four feet from the wall and the trash can… Barbara was standing over here in front of me. She just started to back up toward me and looked at me and got close and elbowed me… It pushed me back into the wall and the trash can. I was like, ‘What did [she] just do to me? This 140-year-old woman just tried to like tackle me.’”

Steele added the alleged incident took place after a segment about former President Barack Obama.

“Some of the producers saw it,” Steele said. “Whoopi saw it. And Whoopi was like, ‘Come here.’ She was great. She pulled me aside in her little area and she’s like, ‘Don’t you 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!”

Walters, regarded as one of the greatest broadcasters of all-time, passed away this past December at the age of 93. A representative of her estate provided a brief statement to Variety on Steele’s claim: “I find this impossible to believe and uncharacteristic of Barbara!”

Sage Steele calls it quits at ESPN after 16 years

Steele, meanwhile, has continued to make the rounds on a media tour of sorts since her exit from ESPN became official. The “SportsCenter” anchor sued the company in April 2022 over allegations her First Amendment and Connecticut’s free speech rights were violated amid comments about the COVID-19 vaccine mandate, which applied to all ESPN employees.

After reportedly receiving a settlement offer in June, not accepted at the time, Steele and ESPN came to an agreement this time.

“Life update,” Steele wrote on Twitter. “Having successfully settled my case with ESPN/Disney, I have decided to leave so I can exercise my first amendment rights more freely.  I am grateful for so many wonderful experiences over the past 16 years and am excited for my next chapter! #SteeleStrong.”