You’re far more likely to see Stephen A. Smith in a daytime medical drama than in the Oval Office.
Then again, we shouldn’t completely discount his presidential ambitions. The last time America laughed off the idea, we elected a reality TV host. Smith isn’t Donald Trump, but he has, at times, advocated for appeasing the 45th and 47th President. Still, he’s been openly “aghast” at the idea of receiving an endorsement from a man he’s repeatedly criticized.
What Smith does share with Trump is screen time. He’s on television every day. Whether it’s First Take or now General Hospital, there’s an overindulgence on ESPN’s $100 million man. Smith is very, very pleased with his current day job, which pays him handsomely, but he’s peeked more than a few times at politics and perhaps late-night television.
We all know it would take a lot for Stephen A. Smith to leave the comforts of the Worldwide Leader. That’s part of why there’s so much hesitancy regarding any serious presidential run. For now, it’s a fun game he gets to tease — dropping hints, making appearances on CNN and Fox News, and keeping the speculation alive through 2026. It keeps him in the conversation, and that’s exactly where he wants to be. Smith craves relevance, and acting happens to be another lane that helps him stay there.
He’s now giving even more weight to his acting career. After recurring as “Brick” on General Hospital, Smith is expanding his screen presence with a guest role in Thursday’s new episode of Law & Order. According to the New York Post, he’ll play an outspoken sports agent named Ted Hunter, who gets stabbed to death, leaving behind a long list of suspects who wanted him gone.
So, no, this particular character doesn’t have much room for growth for obvious reasons. But this is just the beginning of Smith’s acting ambitions. He’s made it clear he’s not stopping until he lands more roles on primetime television and, eventually, in movies.
Still, trading in his ESPN perch for a full-time acting career? That’s where he draws the line.
“It would have to be the right opportunity, of course,” Smith told the Post. “I mean, I have a day job that pays me pretty well, so I don’t really need the work.”
He’s right — he doesn’t need any of this. But wanting it? That’s an entirely different story.
“If I’m gonna do it, it has to be the kind of [role] that I want,” Smith said. “I want to be in the movies. I want to be on primetime television. I want to be on epic shows like Law & Order, I want to work with great actors and great directors, and stuff like that. It’s certainly something that I aspire to do. There’s no doubt about that.”
But there is doubt — a lot of it— that he’d ever leave the comforts of ESPN for a full-on acting career. It’s fun to imagine how he’d fare in a debate stage lineup with Gretchen Whitmer, Pete Buttigieg, Gavin Newsom, Kamala Harris, Josh Shapiro, or Jon Ossoff, as fun as it is picturing him sharing a movie poster with George Clooney, Brad Pitt, or Denzel Washington.
In reality, Smith already owns daytime sports programming, and has for quite some time. He owns plenty of headlines, too. Just scroll through Awful Announcing’s archives for proof.
