Former Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Emmanuel Acho has carved a niche for himself in the sports industry with his hard-hitting show “Speakeasy,” which was launched in 2025 after Fox Sports laid him off. Acho has become one of the most polarizing characters in the media industry as his analysis cuts across the most popular sports and figures in the country.
Two-Time Super Bowl Champ Blasts Emmanuel Acho’s Channel
In a clip posted on his “Speakeasy” show this week, Acho clarified that he had not bought the channel and its followers, but had inherited it as part of his compensation settlement with Fox Sports.
“Let me address something once and for all, I did not buy the Speakeasy channel. I didn’t have to buy the Speakeasy channel,” Acho said.
“Once I left Fox, as part of my settlement, it was, run me this channel ’cause it’s gonna lie dormant just like the current ‘Speak For Yourself’ channel is lying dormant on YouTube. Now, y’all at home, you don’t build a car, you buy a car that’s already been built. Because why would you build a car, when you could buy a car?”
Two-time Super Bowl champion Asante Samuel quote-tweeted Acho’s explanation on X and blasted him for not building the “Speakeasy” channel from scratch.
“We understand brother…. But you didn’t build this platform. Someone gave you the passwords You will be explaining for eternity,” Samuel wrote.
After retiring from the NFL in 2015, Acho was hired as an analyst on Longhorn Network (2016-2018), before being promoted to ESPN2’s college football desk. He left ESPN in 2020 to co-host the “Speak for Yourself” show, replacing Jason Whitlock.
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In 2021, Acho won a Sports Emmy for Outstanding Sports Personality/Emerging On-Air Talent for his role on the show. In 2022, Acho was promoted to the lead anchor role of the “Speak” show alongside current Speakeasy host LeSean McCoy and Joy Taylor. Two years later, the former Eagles linebacker began to co-host a new show titled ‘The Facility’ on FS1.
The show was canceled in July 2025 due to low ratings, prompting the outspoken Acho to launch the “Speakeasy” show two months later alongside McCoy. In his monologue, Acho further credited the founders of the “Speak” channel, which was rebranded to the current “Speakeasy” podcast, for building its capacity.
“I’m not gonna apologize for acquiring a channel that has since allowed me to gainfully employ (8) of my close friends. Shoutout to what Skip and Shannon did in helping create this channel, because I’m gonna inherit what y’all did,” Acho said.
“If you inherit a channel, you better put work into the channel. If you inherit a channel, it don’t mean it’s gonna get 8 million views in 28 days. I’ve never suggested that I formed this channel from the ground, I formed the show ‘Speakeasy.’ I didn’t form the channel.”
Former NFL wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh and comedian Kieran “Carebear” Hickey-Sempl are regular contributors on the “Speakeasy” channel alongside Acho and McCoy.
