For fans of Stephen A. Smith‘s bombastic style, the ESPN superstar’s ongoing expansion into every facet of media — he’s next moving into satellite radio with two shows on SiriusXM — is only more of a good thing. Then there are the detractors. “I don’t respect him. I don’t respect his work. He doesn’t like me,” said Michelle Beadle, after news broke that her former ESPN colleague would be taking over her midday SiriusXM time slot. (Beadle and co-host Cody Decker were both fired in the programming shakeup.)
Smith, however, seems to thrive in hostile environments. In March, he signed a rumored $100 million deal, keeping him and his highly rated sports talk show First Take at ESPN for at least five more years. Smith has been getting more serious about wanting to be an actor. General Hospital fans already know him as Brick, the character he’s been playing intermittently since 2016. Last month, he made his first appearance in prime time, playing a sports agent on Law & Order. And while he played himself in 2023’s Creed III, he says he’s ready to take on bigger swings on the big screen. As if that wasn’t enough, he’s also been dropping hints that he could throw his hat in the political ring.
The Hollywood Reporter caught up with Smith, 57, prior to the SiriusXM announcement and I.C.E. protests in Los Angeles, to learn a little more about his self-described “renaissance man” ambitions.
Hi, Stephen. Would you say your Law & Order episode is the most ambitious acting role you’ve taken on so far?
I think so. I take that back. I would say it has been General Hospital. I’m a huge Law & Order fan, but I’m a huge General Hospital and soap opera fan — and General Hospital was more challenging than this.
What do you like about acting?
Acting is just embracing the concept that you can be whatever the role calls for you to be. Like in General Hospital, I murdered somebody. Obviously I can’t do that in real life, unless I want to spend my life in jail. My acting juices are definitely being stirred. No doubt about that. I kind of love it.
I think of you as this alpha, he-man kind of sports guy, not a soap opera fan. How did that start?
I’ve been watching General Hospital since I was eight years old. We had one TV in the house and my sisters would get home from school before me and they would be watching General Hospital. I had two choices: watch General Hospital or go upstairs and do my homework. What kid do you know is going to choose homework over watching TV?
Were you one of the 30 million people who tuned in for the Luke and Laura wedding in 1981?
I was there. The Luke and Laura wedding, Frank Smith and the weather machine. Bobby’s brother Roy getting shot in the elevator. I was there when Luke and Laura were kidnapped. And when Luke ultimately discovered her standing in the yard and saw her that she was alive after all. I’ve been there for all of that.
Have you taken any acting lessons?
I never have. A lot of people have called me a natural and I don’t feel that way. I’m just trying to memorize my lines so I don’t embarrass myself on the set. I’m the only dude that doesn’t remember my lines while everybody else is remembering theirs and I’m holding up production. In this one scene, it wasn’t even the most lines, but I couldn’t remember them to save my life. I was just distracted with NBA stuff going on. I was just furious and I punched a punching bag and broke my knuckle.
How far do you want to take this? Would you start doing movies?
In a heartbeat. Listen, call me whatever you want — some people might say “renaissance man” or whatever. I’m on soap operas now. I’m on a prime time. I’ve already been in a couple of movies. They’re also talking about me as a presidential candidate, for crying out loud. I don’t put limits on myself.
Absolutely not.
Let me ask you a hypothetical. A genie appears in front of you and says you can have one of two things: You can either win an Oscar for best actor or you can be the president of the United States. Which one do you pick?
What I would want is to be a highly successful actor and win an Oscar, but I’m somebody that prides myself in never thinking about myself. And when we think about the state of America right now, I’m very, very serious when I say I’m very alarmed by the times that we’re living in. There’s nothing but chaos and deprivation in the streets of America.
I am not a politician. I don’t believe I’m qualified to be a politician. I don’t have any experience, nor have I ever had any interest. But I do love talking about issues that matter to the everyday American citizen. The way things are looking right now, it’s nothing but chaos and it’s going downhill. The binary system that we are living in can’t come together on a damn thing. Let’s call balls and strikes and let’s get back to doing what’s in the best interest of the country instead of in the best interest of ourselves. That’s why I believe people have been trying to coax me into joining the fray of politics.
Which people?
Politicians, governors, mayors, representatives.
Anyone you can name by name?
I’m not giving you any names, but if you watch my show and you see what people said, it ain’t hard to figure out who it is. But they are private conversations and are going to remain private. I’ve had strategists reaching out to members of my team trying to get me to sit in front of them so they could talk to me about it. Ro Khanna, I will give you that name, is a [progressive Democrat] representative out of California and has spoken publicly about me. Steve Bannon on the right, which I’m not flattered by this, but he’s throwing my name out there. It’s not something I’m pursuing. I just signed a hefty new contract with ESPN. I’m not trying to give up my money. I’m a proud capitalist. But I keep my options open because you never know what would happen.
I saw someone tweet about you that having media celebrities such as yourself enter politics is what got us into this situation in the first place. How do you respond to that?
I don’t blame them for feeling that way, but that’s not accurate. Media didn’t do this. All of us did it, and it was manipulated and instigated by the politicians on Capitol Hill who can’t come together for a cup of coffee. It wasn’t the media. “The media elected Trump.” Well, how is that possible? Was it the media that has left him as the preeminent dominant figure within the GOP? Is it the media’s fault that the Democrats manipulate the proceedings and make sure that their candidate is the one put out front and center as opposed to somebody else, as they did in circumventing Bernie Sanders in order to put Hillary Rodham Clinton into the mix in 2016?
Is it safe to say you would not run as a member of either of these parties?
It’s not safe to say that. I can’t imagine that I would. But if you were to run and they tell you that you need party affiliation in order to generate the kind of dollars to have a formidable campaign, then obviously I would have to think about those things. I’m a centrist at heart. I’m a moderate, and my objective would be trying to pull both sides closer to the center. Let’s stop with the MAGA, right stuff. Let’s stop with the progressive left. Let’s start with everybody from the extremists on the right, to the AOCs and Jasmine Crocketts on the left — not to throw shade on them or Bernie Sanders.
We need to get back to making sure that the interest of the majority is what is served instead of surrendering to the fringes. That would be my objective. I never intend to be quiet. I don’t mind having a big voice and ruffling feathers, because contrary to what most elected officials are accustomed to dealing with, the negativity and controversy and all of that stuff doesn’t faze me one bit. I live with it every day of my career. It’s a walk in the park for me, so I don’t worry about it one bit.
Well, you certainly have the audience that you just hinted at. Is it true that you got $100 million for a five-year contract?
I don’t answer questions about my dollars, but what I’ll say to you is that the contract that I signed with ESPN and Walt Disney, I’m very happy with it. It’s over five years. I have obligations to ESPN, but I also have freedom. If I wanted to, I could do my own talk show tomorrow. I could do my own news show tomorrow. I could do a game show tomorrow. I have my audio rights. I have an inordinate amount of freedom that I have never had in my career, and that is the biggest part of the contract that a lot of people don’t realize.
Is there any advice you have for how people can both know their worth and negotiate for it?
You have to study the math in your industry. Don’t just define success by your own definition of it. If you’re going to have your hand out for other people’s money or resources, it’s imperative that you understand what their definition of success is. Their definition needs to equally important to you as your definition of success.
That’s what happened when I walked to the negotiating table. I was listening to them and learning what they defined as success. Then I could say, “I have met those expectations if not exceeded it,” which positioned me to say, “This is what I’m worth. This is why I deserve this.” And it was ultimately why I was able to get most of what I wanted.