Danny Parkins, afternoon co-host on The Score, will leave the station after 7 1/2 years and join FS1’s new morning show in New York this fall, the Sun-Times has learned.
Parkins declined to comment.
There had been reports of Fox’s interest in Parkins after his strong showing while filling in for Colin Cowherd on two episodes of “The Herd” in July. On Aug. 2, Skip Bayless announced that that day’s episode of his show, “Undisputed,” was his last, opening the door for a revamped morning show.
Parkins’ exit might prompt The Score to revamp its lineup. Industry buzz has Jason Goff in the mix to return to the station and rejoin Matt Spiegel, who has been Parkins’ partner since 2021. Goff worked with Spie-gel middays from 2015 to ’17. After Goff replaced the retiring Terry Boers alongside Dan Bernstein in the afternoon, former boss Jimmy deCastro unceremoniously let him go in 2018 as part of lineup changes.
But Goff has remained a big part of the local sports scene as the Bulls pregame and postgame host on NBC Sports Chicago and host of “The Full Go with Jason Goff,” part of the podcast network at The Ringer. Goff also has made several appearances on The Score in the last few years.
Whoever replaces Parkins, there’s talk that Spiegel might return to his old midday slot, with current midday hosts Bernstein and Laurence Holmes moving to afternoons. That show, which includes NBC 5 lead sports anchor Leila Rahimi on Wednesdays, has been a ratings leader. In the Nielsen winter book, released in April, it earned a 6.0 share in the 10 a.m.-2 p.m. slot among men ages 25-54 — third in the market and first at the station. But it would be risky to mess with the continuity.
Parkins, 37, made his first FS1 appearance on close friend Nick Wright’s show, “First Things First,” in March. He was in New York for the Barrett Sports Media Summit, and Wright needed an NFL-versed guest. Parkins returned several times.
“They reached out and wanted to see more, and I just kept saying yes,” Parkins told the Sun-Times after appearing on “The Herd.” “The last time I was in New York, they asked me if I would be interested in [filling in for Cowherd], and I said, ‘Of course.’ ”
Parkins’ show with Spiegel has posted strong ratings since the pair reunited. In the winter book, the show ranked fourth in the market in the 2-6 p.m. slot, earning a 5.5 share, up 0.7 from the fall and 1.3 from the previous year. They worked middays from 2017 to ’19.
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