As part of the deal, the analyst will focus his time on "First Take," but will scale back his time on other shows on the network.
www.yahoo.com
Stephen A. Smith reportedly agrees to stay at ESPN with 5-year, $100 million deal
As part of the deal, the analyst will focus his time on "First Take," but will scale back his time on other shows on the network
ESPN has reportedly secured another contract with one of its biggest faces. The network has agreed to a five-year deal with Stephen A. Smith that is reportedly worth at least $100 million, per The Athletic's Andrew Marchand.
As part of the deal, the reporter and analyst will focus his time on "First Take," ESPN's popular morning program, but will scale back his time on other shows on the network. Smith has been on the network for two decades, and became a permanent fixture on "First Take" in 2012.
Per Marchand, Smith will no longer be a regular on ESPN's NBA pregame show, but could still make appearances on "Monday Night Football" or other primetime events on the network.
ESPN will pay Smith $20 million per year under the new deal; Smith's previous deal with the network gave him $12 million per year.
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Could the ESPN host make a run for office?
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Stephen A. Smith Responds to Rumblings That He Could Run for President in 2028
Could the ESPN host make a run for office?
ESPN's Stephen A. Smith has quite the life going for him right now. As host of the highly rated
First Take, the 57-year-old is reportedly making $12 million per year and as of last December, was in negotiations to raise that number to $20 million.
However, amid a ravaged United States political climate, Smith has begun to garner some interest as a potential Democratic Party candidate in the 2028 presidential election.
In an appearance on
The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon on Wednesday night, Smith addressed said speculation—as well as several headlines connecting him to a campaign:
"Folks are nuts, No. 1," Smith laughed. "No. 2, the Democratic Party, they lost, they've had a bad few months. We all know this. Even though there's a lot of qualified democrats all over the country from a local perspective—governors, mayors, stuff like that—there's no real national voice, until moi. They've come to me."
"I did not ask for this," he continued. "I don't want this. I happen to have a very, very good life. A very good job. I'm good, very good... They even got me in the polls, man. I think the number's up to like 7.6% I watch these things and I'm like, 'Wait a minute now, I don't wanna do this." But the fact that they're talking about me this way?
I must say, I approve this message."....
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