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In a new interview, Stephen A. Smith says he is the most valuable talent ESPN has right now.
“I’ve mastered my own business in the world of sports television,” Smith said.
When asked if he should be the highest paid talent at ESPN, Stephen A. Smith didn’t hold back.
“Yes,” Smith told Outkick. “I’m not stuttering. Hell, yes, that’s absolutely true.”
He then went on to explain why.
“I’ve been number one for 12 years. April 1st 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 and every month of every year for the last 12 years.”
Smith didn’t say specifically what he was number one at, but he was on a roll.
“You don’t get to say that about too many people. I look at whether it’s Pat McAfee, it’s Mike Greenberg, it’s Scott Van Pelt, it’s Troy Aikman, it’s Joe Buck, it’s Kirk Herbstreit. The list goes on and on,” Smith continued.
“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, one day, for this man to stand before everyone and be like, ‘I’m number one and this says I’m number one.’”
But wait, there’s more. It’s Stephen A. after all.
“I’m not just a talent. I’m a business,” Smith added. “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 and 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 to anybody for it.”
The best part of Stephen A. Smith’s argument for being the highest paid at ESPN is because he’s currently underpaid – just like he said he was in 2022.
He reportedly makes around $12 million a year at ESPN from the deal he signed in 2019.
“Just like women are underpaid compared to male counterparts, Blacks are underpaid compared to white counterparts,” Smith said. “I’m not talking about me, even though I got news for you, I am underpaid compared to some people on television and what they get paid. But that’s a subject for another day, I ain’t apologizing for that to a damn soul. I am underpaid.”