Despite being ESPN’s highest-paid on-air talent, Stephen A. Smith believes his job isn’t safe.
On June 30, the network went through another round of layoffs that included household names like Todd McShay, Suzy Kolber, and Keyshawn Johnson. In total, around 20 on-air talent were let go in a drastic cost-cutting measure.
Smith, who makes about $12 million per year, is arguably the biggest name at ESPN and is the face of First Take. Still, he doesn’t think that will be enough.
“Let’s deal with reality: this ain’t the end,” Smith said on Monday’s episode of The Stephen A. Smith Show. “More is coming. And yes, ladies and gentlemen, I could be next.
“Don’t ever, ever, ever in your life — as a black person — take anything for granted. I told you before: when white folks catch a cold, black folks catch pneumonia.”
Less than a week before this round of layoffs were revealed, SportsCenter mainstay Neil Everett hosted his final edition the program. In retrospect, it was a sign of things to come.
A worthy sendoff for Neil Everett on his final @SportsCenter. pic.twitter.com/nCnYkYJaNz
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 24, 2023
According to Smith, the layoffs were something everyone was expecting.
“When Disney announced that 7,000 layoffs were coming, everybody associated with ESPN knew this day would arrive,” he said. “Folks, individuals, were hoping it just wasn’t them.”
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]