Michael Kay walks back threat to ESPN producer, calls firing comment ‘performative’

ESPN New York radio show host Michael Kay is walking back his threat to a producer he said he could get fired if he made one phone call. 

Last Friday, Ray Santiago, a producer on the “DiPietro and Rothenberg” morning show with ESPN radio, took a shot at “The Michael Kay Show” by saying the latter program is on a decline. 

After playing the clip with his co-hosts Don La Greca and Peter Rosenberg, Kay looked directly into the camera and said he could put Santiago on the “unemployment line” with a single phone call. 

On Tuesday, Kay wasn’t as angry, claiming that his segment was “performative.”

“I’m not going to sit here and lie,” Kay said. “Was I upset about the comment? Yeah. But it was performative because I’m such a good performer on the air. But if people want to run with it — people on social media being like, ‘You’re a low life, you’re the worst,’ — OK. Whatever.”

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“Is it the fear that this show is now on the rise, and that show’s kind of gone in the other direction lately?” Santiago said after it was mentioned that Kay’s program continues to bring up DiPietro and Rothenberg. 

Here’s Kay’s response: “Ray Santiago made a comment about ratings? Do you realize, Ray, that all I’d have to do is make one phone call, and you’d be on the unemployment line? You have the nerve to say something like that about this show? One phone call, which I’m considering making, and you will be fired. Do you realize that?” 

Kay ended by saying he won’t be bringing up the morning show anymore, but the anger was certainly there in his brief monologue. 

“The Michael Kay Show” was at its height when it surpassed WFAN’s Mike Francesa in the afternoon. However, after initial success when Craig Carton returned with Evan Roberts in the afternoon, WFAN has been winning in recent ratings. 

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The New York Post recently reported that Kay, the long-time broadcaster of the New York Yankees, is considering retirement from sports talk radio. 

Kay spent a full decade being partnered with the legendary John Sterling on WABC from 1992-2001. 

When YES Network began, they immediately brought Kay in while Sterling remained on the radio, which he still does to this day.