Keith Olbermann’s slow dance toward an ESPN return will take another step when he hosts “Pardon The Interruption” with Tony Kornheiser next Thursday and Friday, The Post has learned.
Olbermann confirmed the “PTI” appearances after being contacted by The Post.
At this point, there is no full-time return plan for Olbermann at ESPN, but for a little more than a year he has had an increased workload. He has made “SportsCenter” and “Outside The Lines” appearances and is also scheduled to do some radio spots.
Olbermann first came to prominence in the mid-1990s at ESPN with Dan Patrick on the late-night “SportsCenter” they dubbed “The Big Show.” He eventually left amidst fireworks, which inspired ESPN VP Mike Soltys to say, “He didn’t burn bridges here, he napalmed them.”
But after stints at Fox Sports, MSNBC, Current TV and GQ, among others, Olbermann is now on his next round — granted on part-time duty this time — with ESPN. From 2013-2015, he hosted “Olbermann” on ESPN2, which had strong content, but it never consistently had a time slot in late night because of game coverage that preceded it. The show eventually moved to a late-afternoon spot, but that did not salvage it. In perhaps the most surprising part of Olbermann’s career, his second stint at ESPN ended without a fuss.
Now, Olbermann, 59, is slowly working his way back into the mix, it seems. Could there be more? It does seem increasingly possible. To borrow a phrase, “It is day to day, but aren’t we all?”