ESPN’s Elle Duncan Talks Balancing Motherhood and Hosting ‘SportsCenter’ (Exclusive)

Elle Duncan is seen on ESPN daily as she co-hosts the 6 p.m. ET edition of SportsCenter. And along with being one of the faces of the four-letter network, the 39-year-old is a great mother to her two young children. In an exclusive interview with PopCulture.com, Duncan talked about balancing motherhood and being on ESPN. 

“It’s a hot a— mess,” Duncan exclusively told PopCulture. “But I was just telling my nanny this. I really try to be really, really vocal about talking about my nanny. Not because, I understand how 2% that can sound, right? ‘Her nanny.’ And I used to be that girl that would roll my eyes and be like, ‘Her nanny.’ But I want to be really honest about it because that is the only way I can make all of this work. I have the fortune of being well compensated so I can afford a nanny. I have a husband who, because I’m well compensated, can sort of pick and choose when he does real estate projects and things like that. I have a family who has a mom and dad who retired at the same time and moved to Connecticut and they help. And all of these things have to happen in order for me to make this work and still say sane.”

Duncan understands that she has the resources to help her because she works at ESPN. And that has led to her working with an organization in Atlanta that supports mothers in need. “I work with Helping Mamas, which is an incredible diaper bank in Atlanta, Georgia, the work that I’m trying to focus on this next phase of my life is helping mothers that don’t have the same resources and advantages that I have. I have so many advantages. 

“And you should not have to be on television and earn a certain income and all of that stuff in order to be able to have some semblance of work-life balance. Mothers are forced to make impossible choices because they don’t have the finances or resources to make good choices. So they’re just left with a choice and that’s unfair. So I don’t want anyone to hear me or heed my advice because I’m an anomaly and I recognize that.” Duncan has been with ESPN since 2016. She signed a multi-year contract extension with the company in August 2021.