© 2026 ABC News

Taylor, whose tweet was shared nearly 2,000 times, said she hoped to \"expose hate\" by sharing the message with her more than 240,000 followers on Twitter.

\"The text messages that were sent to my family were disheartening and upsetting. I have learned to develop thick skin throughout my broadcasting career, but I do not wish to normalize hatred and vitriol especially when it affects my family,\" Taylor said in a statement to ABC News. \"I want to expose hate and let people know that they are not alone if they have experienced something similar.\"

\"I will always feel as though the best way to fight abhorrent behavior and obscene comments is to continue speaking my truth, showing up to work with a positive attitude, and striving for excellence,\" she added. \"I'm thankful for the outpouring of support which is a continual reminder of how love can overpower hate.\"

The message sent to Taylor's family members included references to Buffalo Bills quarterback Jake Fromm, 22, who apologized in June after a private text message conversation surfaced in which he used the phrase \"elite white people.\"

pic.twitter.com/UstiEM6DAu

— JakefromStateFromm (@FrommJake) June 4, 2020

Taylor spoke out in response to Fromm's comments in a segment on ESPN's \"First Take,\" saying, \"Every time [prejudice] is revealed, and it's someone, say, you love or you've enjoyed covering, it hurts to your core. It's a death by 1,000 razor cuts. And that's how I feel when I heard about Jake Fromm.\"

\"Every time (prejudice) is revealed, and it's someone say you love or you've enjoyed covering, it hurts to your core. It's a death by 1,000 razor cuts. And that's how I feel when I heard about Jake Fromm.\"

—@MariaTaylor pic.twitter.com/9c5yf9i0ky

— First Take (@FirstTake) June 5, 2020

One of the text messages she said her family received that referenced Fromm read, \"Fromm speaking his mind is how 95% of all white athletes talk and feel …\"

After sharing the message on Twitter, Taylor received support from two of her ESPN colleagues, Elle Duncan and Shelley Smith.

\"When they go low you just keep going to work!,\" Duncan tweeted, while also sharing a \"She is my queen\" GIF.

\"Always have your back,\" tweeted Smith.

Disney is the parent company of ESPN and ABC News.

","canonicalUrl":"https://abcnews.com/GMA/Living/espn-host-maria-taylor-reveals-publicly-shared-racist/story?id=73711518","legacySlug":"/living/story/espn-host-maria-taylor-reveals-publicly-shared-racist-73711518","noIndexNoFollow":false},"publishTime":"21:46","publishDate":"10-21-2020","updatedTime":"21:46","updatedDate":"10-21-2020","socialImage":{"alt":"ESPN's Maria Taylor works from the sideline during the first half of an NCAA college football game between Miami and Florida, Aug. 24, 2019, in Orlando, Fla.","credit":"Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP","ratio":"16x9","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/maria-taylor-ap-rc-201020_1603198234026_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg","width":992,"height":558},"datePublished":"10/21/2020 21:46:08 GMT","video":{"live":false,"id":73711518,"headline":"ESPN host shares hate message sent to her family","mediaAssetTitle":"GMA_ESPN MARIA TAYLOR CALLS OUT RACISM_201020","description":"\"I do not wish to normalize hatred and vitriol,\" Taylor wrote.","duration":"5:15","posterImg":{"url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","width":608,"height":342},"video":{"feed":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2020/02/200221_gma_digital_elle_duncan_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8"},"playlist":["71510387","73188360","71179262"]},"relatedItems":[{"contentType":"story","date":"June 30, 2020","headline":"Hollywood is addressing its racist past -- but there's still more work to be done","section":"culture","slug":"/culture/story/hollywood-addressing-racist-past-work-71510387","id":71510387,"image":{"alt":"Hollywood is addressing its racist past -- but there's still more work to be done","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/hollywood-01-as-gty-200629_hpMain_4x3t_240.jpg","credit":"Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images","ratio":"1x1"}},{"contentType":"story","date":"September 23, 2020","headline":"Kerry Washington on how she talks with her children about race and injustice","section":"culture","slug":"/culture/story/kerry-washington-talks-children-race-injustice-73188360","id":73188360,"image":{"alt":"Kerry Washington on how she talks with her children about race and injustice","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/kerry-washington-file-gty-ml-200923_1600866731812_hpMain_4x3t_240.jpg","credit":"David Crotty/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images","ratio":"1x1"}},{"contentType":"story","date":"June 11, 2020","headline":"Kindergarten teacher makes video to teach kids about race","section":"living","slug":"/living/story/kindergarten-teacher-makes-video-teach-kids-race-71179262","id":71179262,"image":{"alt":"Kindergarten teacher makes video to teach kids about race","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/vera-ahiyya-main-02-ht-jt-200611_hpMain_4x3t_240.jpg","credit":"Vera Ahiyya","ratio":"1x1"}}],"relatedContentSection":"news","schemaContent":{"name":"ESPN host shares hate message sent to her family","description":"\"I do not wish to normalize hatred and vitriol,\" Taylor wrote.","duration":"5:15","uploadDate":"10-21-2020","publication":"10-21-2020","images":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","url":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2020/02/200221_gma_digital_elle_duncan_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","contentUrl":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2020/02/200221_gma_digital_elle_duncan_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","link":"https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/living/story/espn-host-maria-taylor-reveals-publicly-shared-racist-73711518"}},"playlist":[{"id":"132206748","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132200241","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132054443","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132054798","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132033010","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131912713","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131830583","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131834976","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131554765","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131554815","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131543053","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131432442","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131121474","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131247079","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131228784","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131178806","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131142257","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131046664","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131048076","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131033212","contentType":"story","section":"news"}],"kvps":{"pgtyp":"article","lang":"en","sp":"goodmorningamerica","programmatic":"true","bundleId":"com.abcnews"}},"analytics":{"accountID":"wdgnewwdgnewgmaweb","ns":"gma","pageName":"gma:living:video","pageType":"video","globalSpecVersion":"v1.08","siteDifferentiator":"gma:site","tagID":"g_page01","userABCookie":"0","section":"living","title":"ESPN host shares hate message sent to her family","pubTime":"17:46","pubDate":"10-21-2020","modTime":"17:46","modDate":"10-21-2020","taxonomyTags":"none","id":73711518,"editorialOtherSubjects":"","wordCount":"none","columns":"none","authors":"Brittany Berkowitz, Will Linendoll, Nidhi Singh, Jessica Naudziunas","authorsUnit":"none","authorsBureau":"none","subBrand":"Good Morning America","provider":"Good Morning America","videoName":"ESPN host shares hate message sent to her family","mediaAssetTitle":"GMA_ESPN MARIA TAYLOR CALLS OUT RACISM_201020","videoId":73711518,"mediaOnPage":"video","legacySlug":"/living/story/espn-host-maria-taylor-reveals-publicly-shared-racist-73711518"},"taboola":{}},"request":{"headers":{},"httpVersion":"1.1","method":"GET","url":"/video/73711518","vary":{"host":"www.goodmorningamerica.com","cached":true,"path":"/video/73711518","forwarded-proto":"https","device":"desktop","userab":"0"}},"viewport":{"width":1260,"height":0},"user":{}};