NewsNation hosted a star-studded political town hall on Wednesday night featuring the likes of billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban, former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, and UFC CEO Dana White among others.
The topic of conversation, of course, was the upcoming presidential election between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. The town hall, moderated by former CNN anchor Chris Cuomo, who now hosts a show on NewsNation, featured a wide array of celebrities across the political spectrum.
One of the stars of the show was Smith, who has made a habit of appearing on cable news of late. Stephen A. has never been one to shy away from discussing politics, and recently made his support of Vice President Harris abundantly clear while appearing on Fox News’ Hannity. Wednesday, he went to bat for the Democratic nominee again while going head-to-head with the conservative commentator O’Reilly.
When faced with the premise that Harris should have spoken up about the problems surrounding President Joe Biden’s age that ultimately led him to bow out of the presidential race, Smith compared the situation to what many Americans face in the corporate world.
“The bottom line is this. None of us working in corporate America, none of us working on the job is going to dime out our boss. So when somebody brings that up and they say, ‘You didn’t call out Joe Biden. You didn’t talk about him being cognitively-‘ well let me get this straight. Let’s ask a rhetorical question. What if she had done that? You know what they would have said? ‘You betrayed us. You betrayed the administration. You betrayed your employer. We can’t trust you.’
“If you go and you talk smack about your boss, try getting another job in that industry when your reputation is that you talk about your boss. Everyone knows, common sense, you don’t do it! So why should it be held against her, for not diming out Joe Biden?”
Smith is now on a bit of a hot streak when it comes to stumping political adversaries. His quick wit and willingness to talk over anyone and anything makes him a tough sparring partner, which Sean Hannity learned last week.
Stephen A.’s insistence on talking politics is also representative of his “Jordan rules” at ESPN. The network is willing to let its star personalities discuss any topic on any platform, but that isn’t necessarily the case for other talent at ESPN, some of whom claim the network suppresses speech on controversial topics.
His participation in NewsNation’s town hall is also notable in itself. Smith has been pretty transparent about his interest in producing content outside of sports. And as his contract at ESPN approaches its expiration, it’s possible Smith could try and carve out other opportunities in politics or pop culture additional to sports.
With the presidential election just mere days away, it’s likely we haven’t heard the last of Stephen A. Smith’s political takes for the year.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.