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Michael Wilbon Takes Indefinite Leave From ESPN to Focus on His Health

The 67-year-old Pardon the Interruption co-host said the leave is not retirement and gave no timetable for a return, days after the show marked 25 years on air.

By Orbit Post2 min read
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Michael Wilbon Takes Indefinite Leave From ESPN to Focus on His Health

Key points

  • Michael Wilbon, 67, announced on Monday, November 2, 2026 that he will take an indefinite leave of absence from his Pardon the Interruption and NBA duties at ESPN and ABC to focus on his health.
  • "This isn't retirement, but it is a trip to the injured list.
  • Wilbon said he should have listened sooner to medical professionals and to people closest to him, including his co-host Tony Kornheiser, who saw worrisome signs in recent years.

Michael Wilbon, 67, announced on Monday, November 2, 2026 that he will take an indefinite leave of absence from his Pardon the Interruption and NBA duties at ESPN and ABC to focus on his health. He made the announcement in a statement posted on social media.

"This isn't retirement, but it is a trip to the injured list. Hopefully not an extended one," Wilbon wrote. "Struggles with multiple health issues in recent months lead me to take an indefinite leave of absence from my PTI and NBA duties at ESPN and ABC."

Wilbon said he should have listened sooner to medical professionals and to people closest to him, including his co-host Tony Kornheiser, who saw worrisome signs in recent years. He said his struggles are all health related, and are not related to alcohol or gambling. He gave no timetable for a return.

"I have no idea exactly how this part of my journey will wind up," he wrote. "The goal is to come out of it feeling much better than I do now and ready to return to sparring with Tony."

Twenty five years beside Kornheiser

Wilbon has co-hosted Pardon the Interruption with Tony Kornheiser since the show's debut in October 2001. The show celebrated its 25th anniversary on October 22, 2026, which makes this leave land at a landmark moment for one of the longest running partnerships on American sports television.

ESPN has not named a regular replacement opposite Kornheiser. Both Wilbon and Kornheiser signed contract extensions running into 2028, according to Barrett Media reporting on the announcement, so the network's public position is that Wilbon's seat is his to return to.

ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro backed that position in a statement. "Michael and his family have ESPN's full support as he takes time away to focus on his health and well-being," Pitaro said. "He's an important member of our ESPN team and widely respected by his peers, sports fans and so many others throughout our industry. We are here for Michael every step of the way and look forward to welcoming him back whenever he is ready."

For viewers, the immediate change is a PTI desk without one of its two founding voices, with no date set for his return and no regular stand-in named. For Wilbon, by his own account, the work now is his health, and the return comes when he is ready.

Timeline

  1. Oct 2001Pardon the Interruption debuts on ESPN with Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser as co-hosts.
  2. Oct 22, 2026Pardon the Interruption celebrates its 25th anniversary.
  3. Nov 2, 2026Wilbon announces an indefinite leave of absence from his ESPN and ABC duties to focus on his health, with no timetable for a return.

Sources