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ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith is renowned for being one of the best personalities in the media space. Known for his role on ESPN’s daily show “First Take,” Smith has gotten involved with a handful of projects across sports and entertainment. Smith hosts a YouTube show called the “Stephen A. Smith Show,” which has amassed 1.3 million subscribers, makes frequent appearances on ABC’s “General Hospital” and has also made multiple appearances on “Monday Night Countdown” this NFL season. While Smith is gearing up for an NBA season filled with hot takes and potential tiffs with some of the league’s biggest stars, he also revealed on a recent episode of ABC’s “News Live” that he is considering a run for president in 2028. When asked by Kyra Phillips if his future would entail him appearing on ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars” or running for president, Smith revealed he has no interest in dancing, but is highly considering the latter option. “I would never be on ‘Dancing With the Stars,'” Smith said. “I’m too old for that. Even though I have rhythm, I’m not a dancer. I have no desire to do that…What I will say to you, however, is that I’m very, very happy with what I do on television and the radio every day. I have no desire to be a politician, but I’ve left the door open not just because people have asked me to but because I’m not scared. “I think this country is in a bad bad state of affairs,” Smith said. “And I think that people need to be called out for trifling nonsense that they engage in.” It’s unclear which party Smith identifies with, but USA TODAY reported in May that Smith has said he is a fiscal conservative and a social liberal. Regardless of his affiliation, Smith also said that he would love to get on a stage and debate with politicians. The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand reported that when signing a five-year $100 million deal with ESPN, Smith made sure his contract allowed him to discuss politics freely. “Stephen A. Smith has agreed to a new contract with ESPN worth at least $100 million for five years, an agreement that will result in Smith continuing to star on “First Take” on ESPN while scaling back some of his other required appearances on the network, which would free him up to talk even more about politics, sources briefed on the agreement told The Athletic,” wrote Marchand. Smith has been at ESPN since 2003. Smith first served as a contributor for “SportsCenter” as well as an analyst for “NBA Shootaround.” Smith joined “First Take” in 2011 as a recurring analyst, before being added to the panel full-time as an analyst on May 1, 2012. It’s unclear how serious Smith is about running, but if he were to pursue political office, he presumably would have to give up his many roles with ESPN.
