hires

Drew Brees is in at Fox Sports.

Mark Sanchez is out.

The network announced Friday that Brees, the MVP of Super Bowl XLIV, has been hired as an NFL game analyst. He will join play-by-play announcer Adam Amin in the booth starting Nov. 16.

Amin had previously been paired with Sanchez, who is facing a felony battery charge after a physical altercation with a 69-year-old truck driver in Indianapolis last month. Sanchez, who was stabbed in the abdomen during the incident, has not been on the air since then, and a Fox Sports spokesperson told The Times on Friday that he “is no longer with the network.”

“There will be no further comment at this time,” the spokesperson added.

Sanchez has been charged with a level five felony of battery involving serious bodily injury as well as two misdemeanors — unauthorized entry of a motor vehicle and public intoxication — after an Oct. 4 scuffle with Indiana resident Perry Tole.

Sanchez was in Indianapolis that weekend to cover the Colts’ game against the Las Vegas Raiders. According to a probable cause affidavit filed by the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, Sanchez threw Tole toward a wall and also onto the ground during the altercation, while Tole sprayed Sanchez with pepper spray and eventually stabbed him.

Tole spent two days in the hospital after suffering a deep laceration on his left cheek that his attorney said affected his ability to speak. On Oct. 6, Tole filed a civil lawsuit against Sanchez, alleging he had suffered “severe permanent disfigurement, loss of function, other physical injuries, emotional distress, and other damages” as a result of the 38-year-old former NFL player’s actions.

Fox Corp. was named as a co-defendant in the case.

Sanchez remained in the hospital for a week after the incident. He was excused from attending an Oct. 22 pre-trial conference for his criminal case, as his attorney said he was still recovering from his injuries. The trial is set to begin Dec. 11.

With Brees, Fox has replaced Sanchez with one of the NFL’s all-time greats at quarterback. Brees played for the San Diego Chargers and New Orleans Saints during his 20 years in the NFL and is second behind Tom Brady in many of the league’s passing records, including touchdowns and yards. In his first year of eligibility, he is among the 52 modern-era players under consideration for the 2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame class.

“Drew is one of the best to ever play the game, and we couldn’t be more excited to have his prolific credentials and unique insights as part of our coverage on Sundays,” Brad Zager, president of Production and Operations at Fox Sports, said in a statement. “We’re thrilled to welcome him to the Fox Sports family.”

Upon retiring in 2020, Brees called games on NBC for one season. More recently, he has appeared on in-studio shows on various networks and is slated to be part of Netflix’s coverage of Christmas Day games for the second year.

“I appreciate the opportunity Fox has given me in the booth and with their team,” Brees said in a statement. “I hope my passion for this game is reflected in the knowledge and insights I provide to the fans each Sunday.”

RIHANNA has hired Love Island’s Ella Thomas for a new Savage x Fenty gig.

The former Islander who featured on season 10, met Rihanna last year and clearly made a good impression.

7

7

7

7

7

The musical superstar and her team got back in touch with the Love Island beauty to host the Fenty Beauty Cafe in Covent Garden today.

After wowing Rihanna‘s team, Ella got chosen for the gig which is a huge deal for anyone looking to break into the world of fashion and beauty, as well event hosting.

A spokesperson said: “Ella met Rihanna last year and really impressed her and her team.

“She was hand picked to host the Fenty Beauty Cafe in Covent Garden today.

“She’s really starting to make a name of herself in the presenting world and it’s obviously a really big deal to work with such a well known beauty brand.”

Ella took to Instagram to share some snaps from the Beauty Cafe with her 1 million followers.

“You’re looking at your Fenty Beauty host!!,” the stunner captioned her carousel of snaps and short clips.

“From loving the brand since day one to hosting with them. very grateful… make sure you visit the Fenty beauty cafe pop up!.”

In the first photo from the afternoon Ella is wearing a brown and white plaid two-piece shirt and skirt set from Fenty.

While looking incredible in the fit, accompanied by light brown boots, a white watch and gold hoops, the TV personality is holding a microphone while standing next to the Fenty Beauty pop up van.

The whole scene screams professional host, as well as chic and autumnal.

Other snaps and videos from the star show her posing inside of the van, and even standing under an umbrella with her microphone, a smile on her face rain or shine.

Ella’s fans were incredibly proud of her, and flocked to flood the comments section of her post with praise.

“Star girl,” said one user.

“Well deserved Ella,” “The greatest influencer,” and “Yas presenter babe,” shared others.

During her Love Island days, Ella finished in third place, making it to the final before leaving the show.

Before Love Island, she had a successful modelling career, even featuring in music videos for artists including Burna Boy and Headie One.

7

7

July 14 (UPI) — American consumer health company Kenvue on Monday fired CEO Thibaut Mongon.

Kenvue, which produces Aveeno, Band-Aid Brand, Johnson’s, Listerine, Neutrogena and Tylenol, announced that Mongon “has departed the company” and stepped down from the board.

Kirk Perry, a director with more than 30 years of technology and business transformation experience, was appointed as interim CEO.

“As interim CEO, I am excited to leverage my decades of experience leading businesses across the consumer and technology industries and work with the Board and leadership team to put the business on the strongest footing to deliver on Kenvue’s full potential and realize our goal of top-tier financial performance,” Perry said.

Heidrick & Struggles, an executive search firm, is assisting the company in a search for its next fulltime CEO.

“The Board’s strategic review is underway, and we are considering a broad range of potential alternatives, including ways to simplify the Company’s portfolio and how it operates. At the same time, with the CEO transition and recent appointment of a new CFO, we are aligning leadership expertise to drive the Company forward,” said Larry Merlo, Kenvue’s Chair of the Board. “We are confident that the steps we are taking put Kenvue on the right path to deliver both near- and long-term value creation for shareholders.”

In a significant retrenchment, media mogul Byron Allen has retained investment banking firm Moelis & Co. to sell his network-affiliate television stations after spending more than $1 billion to scoop up outlets in smaller markets.

The Allen Media Group announced the news Monday morning. It owns nearly two dozen stations, including in Northern California near Redding, as well as Honolulu; Flint, Mich.; Madison, Wis.; and Tupelo, Miss.

The company needs to pay down debt, Allen said in a statement.

Allen’s firm declined to provide details on its finances.

The Los Angeles firm has spent big bucks during the last six years buying stations with a goal of becoming the largest independent television operator in the U.S. Many of Allen’s stations have standing in their markets with programming from one of the Big Four broadcast networks: ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox.

“We have received numerous inquiries and written offers for most of our television stations and now is the time to explore getting a return on this phenomenal investment,” Allen, chairman and chief executive, said in a statement. “We are going to use this opportunity to take a serious look at the offers, and the sale proceeds will be used to significantly reduce our debt.”

Allen Media Group, which was founded by Allen in 1993, also owns a dozen television channels, including the Weather Channel.

The Los Angeles entrepreneur and former stand-up comedian had been steadily expanding his empire for more than a decade.

However, the television advertising market has become increasingly challenged in recent years as media buyers shift their budgets to digital platforms where they are more likely to find younger consumers. The television advertising market has become more strained with the addition of streaming services, including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Paramount+ competing with legacy stations for dollars.

A decade ago, Allen brought a high-profile $20-billion lawsuit against two of the nation’s largest pay-TV distributors, Comcast and Charter Communications, alleging that racism was the reason his small TV channels were not being carried on those services.

The case ultimately reached the U.S. Supreme Court and was legally significant because it relied on the historic Civil Rights Act of 1866, which was enacted a year after the Civil War ended and mandated that Black citizens “shall have the same right … to make and enforce contracts … as is enjoyed by white citizens.”

But the Supreme Court struck down many of Allen’s arguments. In a 9-0 decision in March 2020, the high court said it was not enough for a civil rights plaintiff to assert that his race was one of several factors that motivated a company to refuse to do business with him. Instead, the person must show race was the crucial and deciding factor.

Last month, CBS picked up his show “Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen” to run at 12:35 a.m.