Stephen A. Smith interrupts Get Up

Less than 10 minutes before First Take began, Stephen A. Smith barged onto the set of ESPN’s Get Up with a message for Ryan Clark that just could not wait.

Clark was deep into a rant about Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy, who recently dumped on former offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. With Clark ranting, Smith walked into the studio, grabbed the nearest microphone and demanded the attention of the American public.


“Yo! Enough talking! Enough Talking, RC, enough talking, we don’t need to listen,” Smith said, prompting Clark to say “my bad” after realizing the First Take host had entered the studio.

“Let me tell America something right now,” Smith continued. “I can’t hear you at all RC, but I know you can hear me. I gotta say something to the American public right now!”

Smith has walked out of studios before, but this is the first time I can remember him barging into a studio for an unscheduled appearance. And when the unequivocal face of ESPN demands everyone’s attention, the rest of the network abides and gives it to him.

“That’s a fly jacket right there! That’s pretty smooth! That looks smooth, I can’t even front,” Smith admitted to Clark. “I stopped, I’m not even mic’d up ladies and gentleman! I said ‘Yo!’ I thought I was looking pretty smooth today to be quite honest with you, I thought I was gonna steal the show! But then I saw my man RC with the mock neck and the blazer. Daaammnnnn. I gotta go buy that.”

After speaking his piece, Smith dropped the mic, exited the studio and went to finish preparing for First Take, subsequently ending Clark’s rant about the Cowboys.

“I was fired up,” Clark said. “I was in my bag and now Stephen A’s gone. This is what happens when you basically run the entire network. You can just take over a show.”

[Get Up]

About Brandon Contes

Brandon Contes is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He previously helped carve the sports vertical for Mediaite and spent more than three years with Barrett Sports Media. Send tips/comments/complaints to bcontes@thecomeback.com