Stephen A. Smith confirms debut date for new Mad Dog Radio show

On Monday, Stephen A. Smith put his vacation from sports media on pause to publicly confirm the debut date for his upcoming show on SiriusXM’s Mad Dog Sports Radio. And fittingly, he announced this while alongside the man he will precede on the Mad Dog Sports Radio schedule, his First Take colleague Chris Russo.

Smith joined Russo on Monday’s edition of Mad Dog Unleashed to discuss his new show on the platform, confirming the previously announced debut date.

“Now, when do you begin here?” Russo asked Smith. “Let’s go through that.”

“September 2nd, Mad Dog Sports Radio,” replied Smith. “1 to 3 p.m. Eastern time. Far be it for me to interfere with the great Mad Dog Russo. So I do 1-3 and then I re-air 6-8.”

A surprise visit by @stephenasmith ! Look forward to welcoming him back home starting on September 2nd, 1-3ET @MadDogRadio Channel 82. pic.twitter.com/K2QbNjzygK

— Chris Mad Dog Russo (@MadDogUnleashed) July 14, 2025

Smith’s new show came with some controversy. Specifically, Michelle Beadle and Cody Decker, who previously held the time slot Smith will soon be filling on Mad Dog Sports Radio, were largely blindsided by the move, despite Russo knowing that Smith would be taking their place six weeks prior to the news becoming official.

Even Chris Russo recently admitted that he “should have been upfront” with Beadle and Decker about Smith replacing them.

Meanwhile, Smith was far from apologetic to Beadle and Decker, making it incredibly clear that he didn’t know that they weren’t informed ahead of time, but that he never backstabbed anybody.

Regardless of how Russo went about replacing Beadle and Decker with Smith, the move is certainly a significant one that should bring even more listeners to Mad Dog Sports Radio come September. Love or hate Smith, it’s hard to argue with his ability to draw audiences.