Since signing a lucrative contract at ESPN in 2019, Stephen A. Smith turned himself into a new kind of commentator.
Smith left ESPN Radio, started his own digital show and podcast, and increasingly made himself available to guest-bookers in areas beyond sports such as business, entertainment and politics. Once he began negotiating (often in public) for a new, even more lucrative contract at the Worldwide Leader, Smith made it clear this branch of his career was a new normal.
Certainly, over the course of the 2024 U.S. presidential election, Smith never minced his words on the political landscape. Smith was among the louder voices calling for President Joe Biden to step aside this summer, and went so far as to predict a Kamala Harris win in November.
But in less than three weeks since Harris lost the election and Smith came out quite critically against her campaign and the Democratic party, Smith has gone on a full-blown media blitz.
Since Nov. 5, Smith has sat for a whopping six interviews for election retrospectives, on some of the biggest media platforms in the country:
- On Nov. 7, Smith made his latest appearance as a recurring guest on Fox News Channel’s Hannity
- That same day, Smith appeared on The Will Cain Show at Fox, with his former ESPN colleague
- Before the end of the week, Smith joined the panel on The View and made headlines about his own political future
- On Nov. 19, Smith continued his flirtation with the Nelk Boys by sitting for an interview on Nelk’s Full Send Podcast
- Over the weekend, Smith joined host Andrew Cuomo and Bill O’Reilly on NewsNation
- On Nov. 24, Smith made a return to the Club Random podcast with Bill Maher
Of course, Smith has also weighed in plenty on Harris, Trump, and the post-election landscape on The Stephen A. Smith Show.
There, Smith has criticized Harris for overvaluing celebrity endorsements and questioned whether UFC CEO Dana White will actually leave politics. Smith has also interviewed O’Reilly and Fox’s Sean Hannity on his show.
Many wonder whether Smith will ultimately run for office. The 57-year-old has spoken directly to everyday Americans for two decades on ESPN and Fox. He certainly has connections with enough wealthy elites to get a headstart. This aggressive foray into political commentary, going into the lion’s den with more conservative outlets like Fox and Full Send could be the beginning of a political career.
For now, the appearances are doing a heck of a job getting Smith’s name and face out there even more than ever. And they are giving him more leverage to show he truly does not need ESPN to have a voice, in sports and beyond.
