Samantha Rivera joins ESPN as bilingual host on multiyear deal

Credit: CBS News Miami

Samantha Rivera is leaving CBS Miami for ESPN.

The network announced Wednesday that Rivera has joined ESPN Deportes and SportsCenter under a multiyear agreement as a bilingual host, contributing to ESPN’s English- and Spanish-language digital platforms. Her role will span hosting, reporting, and storytelling across ESPN’s biggest sports moments, with appearances on both English and Spanish-language programming.

Rivera has been a sports anchor and reporter at CBS Miami, where she covered the Florida Panthers, Miami Heat, Inter Miami, and Miami Hurricanes in both English and Spanish. She came to a wider audience in June 2023 when she went viral for stiff-arming a fan who tried to crash her live shot inside T-Mobile Arena during Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final.

Before CBS Miami, she worked as a sports reporter and anchor at NBC5 Chicago, Telemundo Chicago, and NBC Sports Chicago.

“To be part of such an iconic brand like ESPN is an honor I don’t take lightly,” Rivera said in the announcement. “The opportunity to work across English- and Spanish-language shows at the mecca of sports television is a dream turned reality, one I’ll forever be grateful for. I can’t wait to hit the ground running in Bristol.”

Rivera is one of several additions to the SportsCenter anchor rotation over the past several months. Madelyn Burke joined in March after a decade as one of the primary faces of New York Giants coverage on MSG Network. Treavor Scales returned to ESPN last May for the 6 p.m. ET edition of SportsCenter. Rich Eisen returned to Bristol in April for a special edition of his first time back at ESPN’s main campus in more than 20 years.