Like a bad nightmare, American citizens have tried their hardest to move on and forget the worst parts of the 2020 pandemic and the government sanctioned force and coercion that occurred. For many Americans such as former ESPN reporter Allison Williams however, the unfair decisions of large corporations such as ESPN owner Disney continue to impact them to this day.
Allison Williams via Ben Shapiro YouTube
On Thursday, Williams spoke before the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic and gave her account of her former employer’s harsh COVID vaccine requirements, which ultimately led to her being terminated from her job for not complying in 2021.
In her testimony, Williams accused ESPN of abusing their authority to ostracize and target employees who did not feel that the vaccine was safe enough to take. For Williams this was especially difficult since at the time of all of this, she was pregnant, and had to choose between taking the experimental vaccine or losing her job.
Watch her testimony below:
🚨🚨🚨@ESPN, @Disney fired sports reporter @AllisonW_Sports for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine while undergoing fertility treatment.
Today, she told us her heartbreaking story👇 pic.twitter.com/fKtSN2JjXr
— Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic (@COVIDSelect) July 27, 2023
“On April 1st, 2021, Disney sent an email to all employees stating that, ‘Getting the vaccine is a personal decision for each of us,’ said Williams before the committee. “That position would prove temporary. A few months later, I received a notice from ESPN that effective August 1st, 2021, a COVID vaccine would be required to attend all remote events. This includes all games and remote studio shows.
“There would be absolutely no exemptions to this rule.”
After Disney extended their COVID-19 vaccination mandate to all employees, Williams found herself unable to report from the sidelines of college football for the first time in 14 years. While she hoped she could still work as a studio host, this was contingent upon her receiving a medical or religious exemption from the vaccine mandate. During this time, Williams and her husband were also working with fertility specialists to have a second child, further complicating her decision about the vaccine. Williams spoke with her doctor about her concerns regarding the vaccine, which was required by her employer for her to continue working.
“Given my good health and our current calendar for conception, he supported my decision to forgo the vaccine,” said Williams. “He agreed to provide the necessary documentation to apply for a medical accommodation.”
Allison Williams via DailyWire+ YouTube
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After her doctor supported her decision to avoid the vaccine due to her ongoing fertility treatments and personal health status, she notified her ESPN reporting manager of her intention to apply for a medical exemption. However, due to a large number of medical exemption requests, ESPN held a meeting and decided not to provide any medical exemptions.
Williams was referred to the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the CDC website. Frustrated by this blanket policy, she informed ESPN of her plan to shift her exemption request from medical to religious, citing sincere opposition to the vaccine on both counts. However, her religious beliefs were scrutinized by ESPN’s human resources representatives.
Despite Disney acknowledging the sincerity of her beliefs, Williams was given an ultimatum of getting vaccinated within a week or facing separation from the company. Following her dismissal, she was left without a job, health insurance, and found herself in the public spotlight for her personal and medical choices. The loss of employment significantly impacted her family financially. She described feeling bullied, vilified, slandered, and ostracized, with sleepless nights filled with doubt and worry.
She also highlighted the long-lasting effects of lost wages and the sacrifices made by families like hers who chose to uphold their autonomy and health against mandates they perceived as overreaching and unjustified.
“Thankfully, my resolve strengthened with constant prayer,” said Williams. “Faith in God and the support of loved ones. As I, like so many others, tried to come to terms with my new reality and reconsider how to provide for my family.
“Our own elected government officials shamed us. Anyone who didn’t obediently follow orders to get in line and roll up their sleeves was portrayed as an enemy and a threat, with no regard given to natural immunity, personal convictions, religious believes, or individual health. All valid reasons for declining this injection,” she continued.
“If you were unvaccinated, you were part of the problem.”
Williams, now employed by Fox Sports, continues to share her experiences concerning the strict vaccine mandate at her previous employer, ESPN. Her decision not to receive the vaccine was informed by medical advice, which ESPN did not accept. Williams, affected by this, has decided to sue ESPN for declining her exemption requests.
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