Stephen A. Smith on The Stephen A. Smith Show Photo credit: The Stephen A. Smith Show

After previously wanting to stick to sports when it came to Tom Brady, Stephen A. Smith ignored his decree for the sake of Kim Kardashian.

Rumors about a potential hookup between Brady and Kardashian were sparked last week after the two superstar celebrities were reportedly flirty at Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin’s annual Fourth of July white party. Smith, who has long admired Kardashian, addressed the rumors on a recent episode of his podcast.


“I’m not trying to engage in no gossip, that’s not my style,” Smith insisted. “But I am allowed to see a headline and fantasize…Tom Brady, do your thing, bro. I mean, do your thing!”

“Lord have mercy,” Smith added after a photo of Kardashian flashed on his screen. “Focus, Steve. Focus. My points is, if Tom Brady ends up getting his groove on, I’m quite sure we shouldn’t have a problem with that. There’s absolutely, positively nothing wrong with Tom Brady if he was with Kim Kardashian. And just for the record…you don’t have to be together to hook up together. A lot of times when people talk about, ‘they’re not dating,’ well that don’t mean nothing happened. All I’m saying is, if it did, ain’t none of our business, but it’s yet the latest reason to admire Tom Brady.”

Smith’s interest in Brady’s rumored connection to Kardashian is a stark contrast from his dismissive reaction after the iconic quarterback signed an unprecedented contract with Fox. Upon seeing the seven-time Super Bowl champ join Fox last year, Smith acted like he didn’t care much about Brady’s life away from the football field, but as soon as Kardashian’s name entered the rumor mill, the ESPN host eagerly offered his full attention.

“Forgive me if I don’t care that much,” Smith said about Brady’s future with Fox when the deal was announced in 2022. “I don’t give a damn until he’s actually doing it. When he’s doing it, I’m watching, I want to see. Is he going to be as good as Tony Romo? But until then, he’s got a season to play in Tampa Bay, I’ll see you when you get there.”

Smith wasn’t the first person to dismiss Brady’s future with Fox, preferring to wait until we can actually watch and judge him in the booth. Still, there’s much less tangible evidence about Brady having a future with Kardashian than there is with his future at Fox. But how do you pass up the opportunity to talk about Tom Brady and Kim Kardashian?

[The Stephen A. Smith Show]

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