Michael Rapaport is suing Barstool Sports for breach of contract after not renewing their relationship. So, why did they fire the actor?
There is no doubt that mega-popular sports website and media company Barstool Sports has seen its fair share of controversy. From founder Dave Portnoy getting into it with the NFL chairman to staff members on Barstool’s payroll being under fire for exposed infidelity to all the Call Her Daddy drama, it’s safe to say that Barstool Sports is well equipped to handle just about anything that comes their way.
Recently, actor Michael Rapaport filed summary judgment papers in his breach-of-contract and defamation lawsuit against Barstool Sports. In 2017, Michael joined the Barstool team, ready to work on podcasts and video content. However, things quickly went south and Michael’s contract was not renewed. So, why did Barstool Sports fire him? We have all the details below!
Michael Rapaport signed on with Barstool Sports in 2017.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Michael’s deal with Barstool Sports entitled him to $200,000 for video "rants" posted online and $400,000 for a podcast. He also apparently got a big share of revenue and merchandise, plus additional money for other specials, including $40,000 for the production of a video for DraftKings. And he was reportedly promised "good faith efforts” he'd get to host his own show on SiriusXM. However, according to the actor, that opportunity never came.
"I was hired based on my podcast, rants, sports media and social media personality," Michael said. "That's what attracted me to them. There were no provisions from the hiring or courtship. They especially wanted me to be a bombastic 'bad guy' around the Rough N' Rowdy PPV fights for promotion and to attract viewership."
Michael Rapaport sued Barstool for defamation after they did not renew his contract.
That is when things went from bad to worse. Michael alleges that just months into his deal, Barstool made the decision not to renew the relationship. He also claims that Barstool engineered a "coordinated assault" to get out of the existing talent agreement.
"Following BSI’s decision not to retain Mr. Rapaport, BSI employees, personalities and bloggers began a systematic campaign to publicly and privately discredit, disparage, and undermine Mr. Rapaport’s relationship with BSI as well as his credibility as an actor and performer," states an amended complaint.
