With Michael Irvin’s hype man unavailable Monday morning on First Take, Stephen A. Smith stepped in to fill the void.
Every Monday throughout the NFL season, Smith passes the baton to Irvin for his “Playmaker’s Top Playmakers” segment on First Take, where the Hall-of-Fame wide receiver passionately reveals his awards for Sunday’s top football performers. Usually, Ryan Clark is there to push Irvin’s energy level to new heights for the segment. It’s not that Irvin requires much of a hype man, but it makes for a wild TV bit.
This Monday, Clark was not in studio. And rather than attempting to fuel Irvin from afar as he did last week, Smith acted as the substitute hype man.
“I’M NOT STEPHEN A. RIGHT NOT, I’M RYAN CLARK!” Smith yelled as he paraded around the studio during Irvin’s segment.
Irvin revealed the theme of Monday’s Top Playmakers segment was “Money Green,” which inevitably led to repeated screams of “SHOW ME THE MONEY” à la Tom Cruise in Jerry Maguire.
E for what? ENERGYYYY 🔋@michaelirvin88's playmakers was on another level this week 😂 @stephenasmith pic.twitter.com/I70WanThWw
— First Take (@FirstTake) December 5, 2022
“I NEED YOU TO ALL START WATCHING THAT MOVIE CALLED JERRY MAGUIRE,” Irvin passionately yelled. “BECAUSE YOU’RE GONNA PLAY TOM CRUISE AND SHOW ME THE MONEY!”
“DO YOU NEED CUBA GOODING JR?” Smith asked before offering his own Jerry Maguire impression with three shrieks of “SHOW ME THE MONEY!”
“Calm down RC, calm down RC,” Smith told himself, reminding the audience that he was still Ryan Clark in that moment.
We’ve heard Smith give his Bill Clinton impression, we’ve heard him mock Chris “Mad Dog” Russo’s voice, and we’ve heard Ryan Clark among the many people to impersonate Stephen A. Smith. But Smith as Clark as Cruise as Maguire was a mind-altering performance, especially as background noise for Irvin’s Playmakers segment. That segment is already a lot to handle on a Monday morning, and this added to it.
