High-Profile Radio Host Fired After Threatening Man Over Fishing Spat: What Happened to Dan Bernstein

Longtime Chicago sports radio host Dan Bernstein was abruptly fired from The Score on Friday, ending his tumultuous 30-year run at the station after he threatened a man and his children during a heated online dispute about a fish, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

Station manager Mitch Rosen announced the termination on-air and in an email to staff, writing, “On behalf of [Audacy market manager] Kevin Cassidy and myself, we want to let all of you know that Dan Bernstein no longer works at the Score. We thank Dan for his time here and wish him nothing but the best.”

The shocking dismissal stemmed from a March 13 altercation on X (formerly Twitter) beneath a since-deleted photo Bernstein proudly posted of a northern pike he had caught. When user Greg Messenger accused the host of killing the fish instead of releasing it as claimed, an indignant Bernstein fired back, “What the entire f— is wrong with you? It was released successfully. Took off like a torpedo. Go f— yourself.”

As Messenger continued provoking Bernstein, calling him a “liar” and “5’7 165lb fat boy,” the radio personality escalated his rhetoric. “I never respond to trolls, but questioning my sportsmanship and conservation awareness sets me off. Wanna fight? I’m a bad enemy, f—er,” Bernstein wrote in the exchange.

He then ominously threatened to dox Messenger, posting, “Where you at? I have your address and phone numbers. Want it all public? Do I worry you yet?” When Messenger remained defiant, Bernstein asked, “Want your kids involved?”

The confrontation, screen-captured by the SunTimes, resulted in Bernstein’s week-long suspension and ultimate firing. Camp One Step, a charity supporting children with cancer, also removed him from their board. The organization posted on X, “Recently, Dan Bernstein made comments on social media that don’t reflect our mission.”

It was just the latest controversy for the polarizing yet popular Bernstein. In 2022, he angrily chastised a Barstool Sports personality on-air for referring to him by his last name, sparking social media backlash. He previously outraged listeners by making a lewd comment about a female reporter’s appearance and mockingly calling late Cubs icon Ron Santo’s amputated legs “stumps.”

Yet Bernstein’s fiery, unfiltered persona also fueled his success. His encyclopedic knowledge of Chicago sports, from the intricacies of Bulls’ defensive sets to the latest Cubs sabermetrics, made him a ratings juggernaut. In Nielsen’s fall ratings book, his midday show with cohosts Marshall Harris and Leila Rahimi dominated the advertiser-coveted men 25-54 demographic.

“I’m sad for Dan and for the radio station,” lamented Dan McNeil, another ex-Score host ousted in 2020 over a social media furor. “People are gonna be mad at Mitch. He had no choice,” he told the Sun-Times, noting stations’ fear of “the mighty X,” which he called “America’s human resources department.”

McNeil praised Bernstein’s passion and preparedness while acknowledging his recklessness, saying, “We wanted to be a place where people could get away from the ways of the wicked world…That fraternity house became a think tank, and we lost something.”

The Twitter spat over Bernstein’s fishing photo even drew in his journalist friend Mike Leach, who admonished Messenger, “And you’re a decrepit old man. What’s the end goal here? It’s looks like you won in life, f*** off to leisure activities.”

Bernstein, for his part, remained defiant to the end, telling Messenger amid his threats, “Just say ‘I’m sorry for being a dick,’ and I’ll stop.” When no apology came, he fumed, “I guess your cowardly silence is ‘I’m sorry for being a dick.’ Cool. You MAGA worms are so lame.”

Ultimately, not even towering ratings and a 30-year legacy could save Bernstein from his worst impulses. “Dan was a part of that side that was screaming,” McNeil told the Sun-Times. “We make our own beds in this world.”