{
  "id": 14341156,
  "title": "‘Pardon the Interruption’ to air 25th anniversary special",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/14/pardon-the-interruption-to-air-25th-anniversary-special",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-14T01:30:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/pardon-interruption-air-25th-anniversary-013001422.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "ESPN's long-running show Pardon the Interruption, hosted by Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon, is set to air a special 25th anniversary episode on October 22nd at 5 p.m. ET. This marks a significant milestone for the show, which has been a staple on ESPN for 25 years and counting, with over 3,000 episodes under their belt. The hour-long special is scheduled to air in place of the typical 30-minute SportsCenter program, which usually begins at 5 p.m. ET. Kornheiser and Wilbon, former Washington Post sports columnists, have built a loyal audience around their on-air banter and insightful analysis. Their show continues to be ESPN's highest-rated daily program, with September viewership up 18% year-over-year, averaging 794,000 viewers. Despite the show's success, Wilbon has expressed frustration about ESPN's lack of promotional efforts for PTI compared to other shows, like First Take and Pat McAfee. However, the show's dedicated fan base and the hosts' continued presence on ESPN, as evidenced by their recent three-year extensions through at least 2028, indicate that the network clearly values PTI.",
  "summary": "Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon are approaching a quarter-century on ESPN, and the network intends to celebrate the milestone. On Tuesday, ESPN began advertising a 25th anniversary special of Pardon the Interruption, which is set to air at 5 p.m. ET on Thursday, Oct. 22. The episode will presumably run for an hour, preempting the 30-minute SportsCenter…",
  "key_points": [
    "\"Pardon the Interruption\" airs 25th anniversary special on October 22nd",
    "Show hosts Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon celebrate milestone",
    "Viewership up 18% year-over-year with 794,000 average viewers"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}