Chris Russo’s gummy shtick on ESPN airwaves may be getting the axe after he “pissed off” ESPN executives.
In the latest chapter of the gummy bit, during his weekly appearance on “First Take,” Russo explained that he took a gummy and explained he shared it with MLB analyst Jessica Mendoza.
“I had a gummy this morning; I’m flying. Oh, I’m flying. I had a gummy. Right before he did the Yankee nonsense,” Russo said of Stephen A. Smith during the show.
“I said let me go gobble one. And I went back with [Jessica] Mendoza, and I took a gummy.”
After making the comment, Awful Announcing noted that Russo repeated on multiple occasions that Mendoza didn’t actually have anything to do with his gummy routine.
“It’s not accurate and I got in trouble for that,” Russo said to Jimmy Traina on his “SI Media” podcast, along with guest host Sal Licata.
“Because I put Jessica Mendoza in the mix, and I shouldn’t have done that…I indicated that she was in the mix. And that wasn’t the right thing to do. So I’ll take the hit for that. She flew to Oregon right after, I have not heard from her. But ESPN did…what are you gonna do? You can’t please everybody.”
Russo explained that ESPN executives had previously not mentioned any issues with the bit about taking a gummy, though that had mostly consisted of personal stories of him doing it on his own time and not on ESPN’s airwaves.
It is unclear if Mendoza herself is upset to have been included. Mendoza is a gold-medal winning softball player who predominantly works as an MLB and college baseball/softball analyst for the network.
Russo first talked gummies on ESPN in Sept. 2023, where he boisterously elaborated on his Saturday plans centered around an Oregon-Colorado football game.
“Here’s what I’m doing this weekend … I will get a run in, take the two dogs, Bo and Riley, for a walk. At about 12 o’clock, I’ll sit down, make an early cocktail. Cut a gummy in half,” Russo said.
“At about 3:25, when I’m sauced, I’m not driving, in the house, 3:25. I’ll put the call into Fat Rob. 718-504 … ‘Rob ya know what, what the hell. I can’t root for Oregon. Alright, I’ll pretend on TV. Put 10 dimes on Colorado and Deion to win the game,’” Russo said while chuckling.
Russo, a New York radio legend, signed an extension to continue appearing on ESPN in Feb. 2024.
