Inside look at Linda Cohns second act after ESPN retirement: Complete freedom

Linda Cohn isn’t “going off into the sunset.”The Hall of Fame broadcaster, who has anchored more editions of “SportsCenter” on ESPN than anyone in history, announced Monday that she’s leaving the Worldwide Leader after 34 years — and she’s carrying that momentum into her next chapter.“I’m excited about what’s next, and I’m not sad about what’s ending,” Cohn said in an interview with The Post on Tuesday.“… I’m looking forward my to my next project where I could have complete freedom.” Cohn’s next act, which will be announced next month, will marry “freedom and fun” and extend her voice into spaces beyond just sports, such as pop culture and music.

She also wants to take on speaking engagements, utilize her social media for content creation and bolster her YouTube channel to continue communicating with those that grew up watching her deliver sports on television.“I don’t want people to see the retirement word and thinking I’m going off into the sunset,” Cohn said.“I want to share my story… and continue to inspire young women.

I don’t want that to stop and if that’s my only claim to fame, inspiring young women to get into sports or follow their dreams, I’m great with that.”Cohn signed on for one more year with ESPN last June after flirting with the idea of retirement when the company relocated “SportsCenter” from Los Angeles to Bristol, CT in March 2025.“I didn’t want to go back to Bristol,” Cohn said.

“I really enjoyed being in Los Angeles.My daughter [Sammy] moved out here a year after I did eight years ago, and it just caught me by surprise [when ESPN relocated the sports news and information program].“That’s when I started thinking about retiring.

But then I said, ‘You know what, I’ll extend for another year, do some events for them, and then have a year to think about what’s next.And so that’s really how it started… I’m just figuring it out… I still have a lot to give....