When Stephen A. Smith is away, Chris “Mad Dog” Russo and Dan Orlovsky come out to play.
First Take is very clearly Smith’s show; make no mistake. But when he’s on vacation, he may occasionally be needled on his own show. Some of it’s warranted, and other times, it just comes up naturally, and that’s what happened on Tuesday’s edition of ESPN’s premiere debate show.
Smith tweeted at Russo to “sit up in the damn chair and get your energy up,” and when his tweet was brought to light on-air, ESPN chose what Orlovsky and Russo believed to be an unflattering photo of Smith.
With Christine Williamson sitting in the host’s chair, she set up a tee for Orlovsky, who couldn’t help but crack a smile at an outdated photo of Smith.
Orlovsky and Russo couldn’t help but make quip in his direction, notably pointing out his physical appearance before his recent weight loss efforts.
“I just want to get an updated picture of Stephen A. That picture looks like 25 pounds before Stephen A. decided to get fit,” Orlovksy said. “We were a little thick in the cheeks still there, the neck is a little wider. Obviously, the hairline is still struggling, but maybe we can get an updated pic.”
“A little chunky,” added Russo.
Dan Orlovsky calls for ESPN to get an updated picture of Stephen A. Smith: “We were a little thick in the cheeks still there, the neck is a little wider.”
“A little chunky.” – Chris Russo. pic.twitter.com/n0qHMDgvua
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) July 16, 2024
“I don’t think you’re supposed to say that,” Williamson chimed in through a laugh.
That’s part of Mad Dog’s charm: he doesn’t have a filter. And after Smith came at him with marching orders, criticizing him for not living up to the standard, you had to imagine that Russo would go at him with some jab. Smith got wind of the comments and had fun with Orlovsky and Russo’s commentary.
Haaaaaaa!!!! Tell’em @danorlovsky7. Tell’em. That pic was definitely more than 30lbs ago. Ain’t too many dudes who can walk around at age 56, feeling better than he did at 36. Take notes😀. And @MadDogUnleashed, calling me “chunky” on @FirstTake is grounds for dismissal😀! Love…
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) July 16, 2024
Perhaps when Smith’s back from his long-awaited vacation, ESPN can find an updated photo.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.