CROSSOVER

Stephen A. Smith Set to Launch New Political Talk Show

After signing a $36 million contract, his SiriusXM show will debut tonight.

NBA analyst Stephen A. Smith is gearing up to dive headfirst into political commentating with a new $36 million, three-year contract with SiriusXM, according to The Athletic. Smith, 57, is set to debut a two-hour political talk show, Straight Shooter with Stephen A., Wednesday night on SiriusXM. It will be on the platform’s bipartisan channel called “POTUS Politics.” Smith already signed a five-year ESPN deal earlier this year worth $105 million, which allowed him to make fewer appearances on the network. Now the sports commentator is going to make roughly $40 million per year across both contracts, in addition to his YouTube and podcast revenue. Smith’s foray into politics doesn’t come as a surprise as he’s often touched on political topics during his sports broadcasts and outside interviews. Last week, he provided his opinion on the assassination of Charlie Kirk in an interview on Newsmax, lambasting House members for a lack of “decorum” during a moment of silence for Kirk’s death. Smith has even hinted at a presidential run, saying in January, following Trump’s 2024 win, that “the Democratic Party looks so pathetic after this election, I might entertain running.” The president also gave him the thumbs up, saying in April that he’d “love to see [Smith] run.” But fans of his sports commentary, which primarily focuses on the NBA, can still catch him on his daily ESPN show First Take.