Samantha Ponder Bio | Wiki
Samantha Ponder (Samantha Sainte-Claire Steele) is an American journalist currently working for ESPN as the Sunday NFL Countdown host. She joined the station in 2011 and was selected to serve as the Sunday NFL Countdown host in March 2017 and is the third person to occupy the position since the show began.
In addition, Samantha is also a former contributor to College Football Live as well as the six-time Emmy-award-winning College GameDay Built by The Home Depot from 2012 to 2016. Previously, she worked for the ABC Saturday Night Football telecast in 2016 as a reporter along with Chris Flower and Kirk Herbstreit.
Samantha Ponder Age
She was born on December 11, 1985, in Phoenix, Arizona, in the United States. Samantha is 37 years old.
Samantha Ponder Height
She is a woman of above-average stature. Samantha’s height is 5 ft 7 in (Approx 1.7 m).
Samantha Ponder Family
She was born in Phoenix, Arizona to her parents Jerry Steele and Cindi Steele who are both missionaries. Samantha has one older sister named Jaime and two brothers named Barron and Jerrod Jefferson. Her father Jerry Steele was a professional player and retired coach. However, there is not much available information in regard to her mother and brothers.
Samantha Ponder Siblings
She was born to her father Jerry Steele and her mother Cindi Steele in Phoenix, Arizona. Samantha was raised along with her three siblings, an older sister named Jaime and two brothers named Jerrod Jefferson and Barron.
Samantha Ponder Husband | Spouse
She is happily married to her loving and supportive husband Christian Ponder who was the then-Minnesota Vikings quarterback. The couple exchanged their wedding vows on December 17, 2012, in Hudson, Wisconsin. Samantha and her husband are blessed with three children named Bowden Sainte-Claire born in July 2014, Robinson True who was born in June 2017, and Price born in July 2018.
Samantha Ponder Wedding
She tied the knot with her husband Christian Ponder at a courthouse in Hudson, Wisconsin, on December 17, 2012. The couple got married without both their families’ knowledge and later decided to break the news the next day.
Samantha Ponder Pregnant
She is a proud mom of three kids, two daughters, and one son named Bowden Sainte-Claire, Robinson True, and Price. However, there is no available information in regard to her being pregnant. We will update this as soon as we have reliable and valid information regarding the matter.
Samantha Ponder Education
She attended Central High School in Phoenix where she completed her high school education. Samantha first joined The King’s College in New York after graduating from high school. While there, she applied for a hostess job at ESPN Zone where she met a college football researcher and manager with ABC Sports Radio called Ben Keeperman.
The encounter led to an internship at the network as well as a job with ABC-TV on the college football studio show where she served as a research assistant. Samantha later went on to continue her education at Liberty University after Bruce Carey, Liberty’s Sr. Sports Producer proposed to her a job to work as a sideline reporter for the Liberty Flames sports television network.
Samantha Ponder ESPN
She has been serving as a Sunday NFL Countdown Host for ESPN since March 2017. Samantha joined the station in the year 2011 and also contributes to NFL features as well as interviews. She is also a former contributor to College Football Live as well as a six-time Emmy-award-winning College GameDay Built by The Home Depot that commenced in the year 2012. Samantha also worked for the ABC Saturday Night Football telecast in 2016 as a reporter together with Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit.
She also served as a reporter for college football on Thursdays as well as Longhorn Network events, studio shows, and also feature stories out of the LHN studios in Austin, Texas. Additionally, Samantha also worked as a reporter for ESPN’s Tuesday and Sunday primetime college basketball games. Before joining ESPN, she worked for FOX Sports as a host and reporter. While there, Samantha contributed to Fox Sports Net as well as Fox College’s coverage of basketball and also football in the Pac 10 and also Big 12 conferences.
In her duty as a host, she led the pregame, halftime, and also postgame studio shows for numerous events such as the Pac 10 Basketball Tournament as well as “Paradise Jam”. Samantha joined radio shows all over the country throughout the college football and basketball seasons to discuss the latest news in college sports. In addition, she also worked for FoxSports.com as a weekly columnist. Prior to joining Fox College Sports, Samantha served as an intern for ABC Sports Radio and also helped with research on ABC Television’s College Football Studio show in New York.
During her time at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va, she also served as a sideline reporter and host for all football and men’s and women’s basketball games.
Some of Samantha’s colleagues at ESPN include:
Neil Everett – Sportscaster
Karl Ravech – Host
Ashley Brewer – Sports Anchor & Host
John Buccigross – Sportscaster
Katie George – Sports Anchor
Chris Berman – Host
Sam Ponder Barstool | Dave Portnoy
It seems that Samantha has an ongoing beef with Barstool and its president Dave Portnoy. While she was answering questions from followers in September 2018, on her Instagram story, Samantha talked about a claim that she was the reason behind the fall of “Barstool Van Talk”. In the interview, she said that she had personally told those who asked that she did not want the show to be canceled. In addition, Samantha added that she would be happy to be a guest on their show to talk about how their president, Dave Portnoy made a video saying that Scould should have been terminated.
Samantha’s war of words with Barstool and its president Dave Portnoy goes back to 2017 before the premiere of ESPN’s show called Barstool Van Talk which was canceled after airing for one episode. Portnoy claimed that Samantha had attempted to ax the series prior to its premier when she sarcastically welcomed co-host Dan Katz also referred to as “Big Cat” to Worldwide Leader.
Samantha Ponder House
On September 1, 2020, Samantha and her husband Christian Ponder were leaving the Phonix Home and were ready to give the gated estate to a new owner at $3.9 million. The pair bought the house back in 2015 at $2.2 million. Prior to gaining national fame at ESPN, Samantha was born and also brought up in the Phoenix area. The house was a 6,923-square-foot main house and contained an 803-square-foot guesthouse. In addition, Samantha’s house had a total of six bedrooms and 6.5 washrooms. Moreover, the grassy yard was enclosed by tall trees.
Samantha Ponder Boots
After conducting our research, we found out that Samantha likes wearing knee lengthed boots. However, she has not shared much information with the public concerning her boots including where she purchase them and what brand she prefers.
Samantha Ponder Hair | New Haircut
As seen from some of her photos, Samantha cut her long wavy hair to shoulder length. However, there is not much available information in regard to her new haircut.
Samantha Ponder Salary
She receives quite an impressive amount from working at ESPN as a Sunday NFL Countdown host. Samantha’s average salary is $3 million per year.
Samantha Ponder Net Worth
Having worked in the media industry for quite some time, Samantha has been able to accumulate a decent fortune. Samantha’s estimated net worth is $15 million.
Who Is Samantha Ponder
She is an American journalist who has been working for ESPN since joining in 2011. Samantha currently serves as the station’s Sunday NFL Countdown host since March 2017.
How Tall Is Samantha Ponder
She is a woman of above-average stature. Samantha’s height is 5 ft 7 in (Approx 1.7 m).
Who Is Samantha Ponder Married To
She got married to Christian Ponder, a former Minnesota Vikings quarterback on December 17, 2012, at a courthouse in Hudson, Wisconsin. Samantha and her husband share three beautiful kids, two daughters, and one son.