# #130: Russillo vs. Simmons: Who Won the Break-Up?

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-r-billsimmons-podcast-6484725/130-russillo-vs-simmons-who-won-the-break-up
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-r-billsimmons-podcast-6484725/130-russillo-vs-simmons-who-won-the-break-up.md
Podcast: [The r/BillSimmons Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-r-billsimmons-podcast-6484725)
Published: 2025-11-11T05:05:00+00:00
Episode link: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-rbillsimmons-po/episodes/130-Russillo-vs--Simmons-Who-Won-the-Break-Up-e3aptnk
Audio file: https://anchor.fm/s/d9aa08a0/podcast/play/110998708/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2025-10-11%2F412236765-44100-2-c1f3f3ba2786a.m4a
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-r-billsimmons-podcast-6484725/episodes/130-russillo-vs-simmons-who-won-the-break-up
Duration seconds: 4223

## Resource

Welcome to Episode #130! We bring on recurring guest Chris (#93, #95, #100) to cover all the angles of Ryen Russillo leaving Bill Simmons & The Ringer. We first hit on what we think Russillo should do at Barstool, including utilizing the talent there and adding some variety into his show; so far we're modestly disappointed he seems to be doing the exact same podcast. What will his new company look like - will he hire people and develop more talent? We next get into which side needed eachother more and which side has more to prove. Can Russillo truly be a #1 guy? How much was his weekly Bill podcast contributing to his popularity? How does Bill replace Russillo, especially on Sunday nights? Can Bill use Russillo's cap space to better fill out The Ringer's depth? We next give our theories on why Russillo left: was it money, IP, Zach Lowe, or Ryen getting tired of Bill? And was the split acrimonious? Why haven’t either of them mentioned it yet; when's the next time (if ever) they'll pod together? Was Ryen leaving more of a Bill or Spotify decision? We finish up assessing how, in the future, we'll judge which side truly won the break-up. Enjoy!

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## Transcript

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