Dan Le Batard explains Papi’s absence — and future — on ESPN’s Highly Questionable
“Where’s Papi?” The mystery is finally solved.
Fans of the Miami-based ESPN TV show “Highly Questionable” have wondered for the past two weeks why regular Gonzalo “Papi” Le Batard, father of main host Dan Le Batard, has not been on.
The reason had been unexplained, and in the void of information concerns arose that it might be a health issue. Dan heard the question and fans’ concerns more than anyone, so he finally addressed them.
“My father is in good health, he’s just been punching a clock for 50 years and doesn’t want to necessarily be working every day,” Le Batard told listeners midway through Thursday’s radio show. “He had a pretty hard time telling me he didn’t want to be working every day. There was a palpable sadness when I sat down in the chair and [for the first time] he wasn’t next to me.”
He had first addressed Papi’s absence to begin Wednesday’s “Highly Questionable” show, later posting a clip of the explanation on the show’s Instagram account.
“No old guy again today. Thank you to all of you who have expressed your concerns,” he began. “He is healthy, he is happy, he is just 76 years old. He’s been working, punching a clock for 50 straight years, and he doesn’t feel like working that hard right now.”
His son described Papi as the one “who makes the show special, different or awful, depending on your perspective. We miss him as much as you do, but he’s happy and healthy.”
In the senior Le Batard’s absence Dan has rotated in several guest co-hosts including ESPN’s Sarah Spain, Israel Gutierrez and Mina Kimes.
His son did not announce Papi as retired or as leaving the show, but left the impression the father had retired at least for now as a full-time presence on the show and that any future appearances would be sporadic or occasional.
Said Dan: “He’ll come in when he wants to. He’s 76 and he wants to be working less at the moment. We’ll see if that sticks.”
“Highly Questionable,” which premiered in 2011, airs weekdays from 4:30 to 5 pm. on ESPN. It is filmed in the same South Beach studios as the Dan Le Batard Show With Stugotz, which airs weekdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on ESPN Radio.
