Jemele Hill has found a new home at The Atlantic.
Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg broke the news Monday, tweeting: “I’m very pleased to announce that the great @jemelehill is joining @TheAtlantic as a staff writer. She’ll be covering the intersection of sports, race, politics, gender, and culture for us. Welcome, Jemele.”
https://twitter.com/JeffreyGoldberg/status/1046746830082641922
The 42-year-old journalist responded to Goldberg’s welcome with a prayer hands emoji, and she confirmed the news with her own statement.
“The Atlantic made perfect sense to me because during this period, it’s critical to be aligned with people who understand this mission: Sports is a great entry point for exploring what’s happening in the wider society,” Hill said.
“You can’t talk about sports without talking about race, class, gender and politics. I want to explore the complications and discomforts with a publication that has a long history of supporting this kind of work,” she continued.
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) October 1, 2018
A press release from The Atlantic revealed Hill will be based in Los Angeles where the publication is “establishing a second California bureau after opening an office in San Francisco this summer.”
The former SportsCenter anchor’s move to The Atlantic comes amid the magazine’s efforts to add 100 new staff members and “investments across the newsroom, all divisions, and platforms.”
Additionally, the publication plans to expand its coverage of “Hollywood and culture, and is doubling its teams covering politics and national affairs.”
Read More: Jemele Hill Lines Up New Job After ESPN Exit
Hill’s transition to Atlantic staff writer comes one month after she and ESPN agreed to a contract buyout.
The parting of ways was a long time coming, as the award-winning reporter didn’t share ESPN President James Pitaro’s vision for the network regarding politics.
Despite Pitaro’s warning to network employees that they weren’t to cover politics, Hill often tweeted her opinions about President Donald Trump and the #TakeAKnee movement.
The Michigan State University alum was reprimanded two separate times by ESPN for violating its social media guidelines, the first time being in September 2017 when she tweeted that Trump is a “white supremacist.” At the time, the network said Hill’s actions were “inappropriate.”
Read More: Jemele Hill Named NABJ Journalist of the Year
Despite Hill’s troubles with ESPN, her career continues to flourish. Just one day after The Atlantic‘s announcement, the sports enthusiast took to Twitter to share a sneak peek of the three-part documentary she narrated, Shut Up and Dribble.
The LeBron James produced documentary will focus on the evolving role NBA stars play in the current political and cultural climates.
A sneak peak at the @Showtime 3-part documentary, “Shut Up and Dribble,” that’s executive produced by @KingJames & @mavcarter and narrated by me. Premieres Nov 3 pic.twitter.com/kEvgTxxpcf
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) October 2, 2018
Shut Up and Dribble is set for a Nov. 3 release on Showtime.
