Why Longtime ‘SportsCenter' Anchor Linda Cohn Is Leaving ESPN After 34 Years
After 34 years behind the SportsCenter desk, legendary anchor Linda Cohn will retire at the end of June, ESPN announced on Monday, June 22.
Cohn, 66, has hosted more episodes of ESPN's signature sports news show than anyone in the network's history, with more than 5,500 appearances to her name.
"When I look back, I have amazing memories of the shows I hosted, the games I reported on, the athletes I met and the outstanding colleagues I got to work with," Cohn said in a statement shared by ESPN. "I've always said I was a fan first and I've always tried to keep that top of mind when I was doing SportsCenter or anything else."
Cohn's contract is set to expire on June 30 and the two sides could not come to an agreement to renew, according to USA Today. Her final show will be on Friday, June 26.
"What I'm most proud of is that my career lasted long enough for me to see little girls grow up watching SportsCenter, enter this business, and succeed in it," Cohn added. "If my journey helped make that path a little easier for them, then that's the achievement I'll cherish most."
Cohn began her run at ESPN in 1992 on the network's main campus in Bristol, Connecticut, before moving to Los Angeles in 2018 to anchor the 1 a.m. ET episode of SportsCenter. When the 1 a.m. slot moved back to Bristol in 2025, Cohn switched gears to focus on special projects.
A former college hockey player at SUNY Oswego, Cohn has played a consistent role in ESPN's hockey coverage, working NHL studio shows and cohosting the network's "In the Crease" podcast.
She was also notably inducted into the National Sports Media Association Hall of Fame in 2017.
"Linda Cohn is a legend and a major part of the history of ESPN," ESPN president Burke Magnus said in a statement. "She has brought enthusiasm, personality and her love of sports to our audience for more than 30 years and her contributions to ESPN both in front of and behind the camera would make a very long list. We wish her all the best in her retirement and sincerely thank her."
After news of Cohn's retirement broke, she took to her Instagram Story to share additional thoughts.
"The main thing I want to say is thank you," she said in the video. "Thank you for your support. Thank you for all of the messages. Thank you for all the kind words."
Cohn continued, "I've had happy tears all day, every minute of this day. It just means so much that I've made this kind of impact when I was just doing something that I enjoyed and loved, just being a sports fan, like you."
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This story was originally published June 23, 2026 at 9:22 AM.