Bomani Jones Says His Failures Are Not His Fault

Bomani Jones' failures are not his fault. At least that's what he says.

The outlet Fortune interviewed Jones this week in what was largely a puff piece. The article claimed, without evidence, he is on a "hot streak."

However, the interviewer did ask him about "High Noon," his former program ESPN canceled in 2020. Bomani says the cancellation "had zero to do with him."

Zero. Not even a percentage was his fault.

Via BSM.

“I could have the greatest version of ‘High Noon’ that was possible there’s not a place in line-up for that right now,” he said. “That’s just not what they do, and that has zero to do with me.”

According to Fortune, Bomani concluded "ESPN was changing its programming choices, not that he need to change his approach."

Huh?

While ESPN has undergone strategy changes since 2020 -- with an emphasis on "SportsCenter"---adjacent programming -- claiming the cancellation had "zero" to do with him is a lie the interviewer should be canned for not challenging.

ESPN booting "High Noon" off the air had everything to do with Bomani Jones. The program set record lows at both 12 pm (following Stephen A. Smith) and then at 4 pm (in a block with "PTI.")

The show was disaster. It sucked. It sunk ratings to holes of which proceeding hosts could not dig themselves out.

Now, why do we blame Bomani for that, and not his former co-host Pablo Torre or show creator Erik Rydholm?

Because as Jones' pal Kendrick Perkins would say, #TheFacts.

Rydholm has succeeded at every stop, from "PTI" to "Around the Horn." Likewise, Torre anchored a successful podcast for ESPN and was a skilled columnist.

Meanwhile, Bomani has set records during each of his stints. Record-lows, that is.

"High Noon" was not Bomani's only failure. Before, he hosted an ESPN Radio program during afternoon drive. There, he recorded the lowest ratings in ESPN Radio history, losing over 90 affiliates.

Moreover, the ratings for the radio time slot spiked immediately upon ESPN replacing Jones.

Bomani failed on ESPN TV and ESPN Radio. He's now failing on HBO. In fact, the Fortune piece noted how he is currently "struggling with ratings."

At least they acknowledged his numbers. The rest of the press has not.

HBO botched the hire. Jones has lost, on average, 80 percent of his lead-in across two seasons.

More impressively, he's doing so following John Oliver (last year) and Bill Maher (this year), two of the biggest draws in media.

Most weeks, Jones fails to rank on the daily cable charts. His viewership is too low. He oft loses to 2 am infomercials.

That is not hyperbole.

There's a common thread in the career of Bomani Jones:

Audiences don't like him. They didn't watch him on ESPN, no matter the time slot. They don't listen to him on radio. And they turn the channel when he appears on HBO.

To absolve himself of those shortcomings is either ignorance, cowardice, or a deranged degree of arrogance.

Bomani Jones' blame for the cancellation of "High Noon" is closer to 100 percent than to the zero percent mark he pathetically claims.