Stephen A. Smith wants to be ESPN’s highest-paid personality
In a recent interview with OutKick’s Clay Travis, “First Take” host Stephen A. Smith asserted that his “superior ratings and revenue” at ESPN should make him the highest-earning personality at Disney and ESPN. Smith hinted that he is ready to leave the network if his new contract does not reflect his contributions.
Smith, who currently earns $12 million annually, emphasized his 12 years of being number one in ratings and his multifaceted business ventures, including his production company and YouTube channel.
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“Clay Travis, I’ve been number one for 12 years,” Smith said, referring to his ratings. “April 1 will mark 12 consecutive years I’ve been number one. Not only have I been number one every year, I’ve been number one every week in every month of every year for the last 12 years. You don’t get to say that about too many people.
“I look at whether it’s [fellow ESPN personalities] Pat McAfee, Mike Greenberg, Scott Van Pelt, it’s Troy Aikman, it’s Joe Buck, it’s Kirk Herbstreit, the list goes on and on. I’m so honored to have the colleagues that I have that I work with at ESPN every day. And at the end of the day, it would be nice, for one day, for this man to stand before everyone and be like, this is not I’m number one and this says I’m number one.”
While expressing gratitude for his colleagues at ESPN, he highlighted his desire to be recognized as the top earner and referenced other high-profile contracts in the industry.
“I’m not just a talent. I’m a business,” Smith said. “I’ve got my own production company. I’ve got my own YouTube channel. I’ve got my own show. It’s not even just a podcast. It’s a show with a fully loaded television studio. That’s what I built for myself, that could go linear or digital. The list goes on and on.
“I’m doing all of these things. I’m not doing all of that to be in second place. I’m not doing all of that to look up at somebody else to see that they’re making more than me when I’m producing superior ratings and revenue. No, I’m not doing that. And I’m not apologizing for anybody for it.”
Smith’s current contract expires in 18 months, and he hopes to negotiate a new deal that reflects his contributions and business ventures.
Sounds like Stephen A. has already begun laying the groundwork for a megadeal.
