Former ESPN host Sarah Spain said she felt sick while sitting near U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance at a Winter Olympics hockey game(Image: Getty)
Former ESPN host Sarah Spain says she felt physically ill sitting near U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance at a Winter Olympics hockey game.
Spain attended the U.S. women's hockey showdown between the United States and Czechia at the Milano Cortina Winter Games on Feb. 6, where she spotted Vance and his security detail seated just a few rows ahead. The U.S. dominated the preliminary game, winning 5-1, and is now set to contest a gold medal match against Canada this week.
Still, despite the occasion, Spain was left feeling "ill," as she "looked at a demon," Vice President Vance, who was with his children.
"Twelve minutes into the first period, that area suddenly is awash with large men in suits with earpieces. And here comes JD Vance carrying a child and a bunch of security, and eventually Marco Rubio," Spain said on her podcast.
"When I see JD Vance's eyeliner face, I literally feel ill. I feel like I just looked at a demon, like the Devil. And I don't even believe in that, but my body felt like when you've been spooked, and you have a little tingle that feels like, 'Ooh, something's not right.'"
Vance then attended another U.S. women's hockey game as they took on Canada in the preliminaries. He was seen seated next to YouTube star-turned-boxer Jake Paul, whose fiancée won Olympic speed skating gold.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance holds his daughter Mirabel, with United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee chair Gene Sykes sitting next to them, as they attend the Men's 5000m speed skating at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics on February 8, 2026, in Milan, Italy.(Image: Getty)
"[Vance] brought a little demon friend, Jake Paul. Talk about only the finest people representing America," Spain said.
She continued: "I was so freaking annoyed. And if I thought I was annoyed just from them being there, my simmer turned into a boil when the Italian press in front of us insisted on standing up after every single goal so that they could gawk at JD Vance and Jake Paul."
Host Sarah Spain speaks during the 2024 espnW New York Summit at 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge on May 09, 2024, in Brooklyn, New York.(Image: Getty)
After joining ESPN in 2010, Spain appeared on shows like First Take, Olbermann, Mike & Mike, and The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz.
In July 2024, she broke new ground by launching Good Game with Sarah Spain, the first and only daily women's sports podcast.
The show quickly earned acclaim, landing a nomination for Best Sports Podcast at the 2025 Ambies Awards for Excellence in Audio.
At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, at any time clicking the "Do Not Sell or Share my Data" button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our Privacy Notice and Terms and Conditions.
Hockey News