ESPN took a hit last week when the company released multiple on-air personalities including Suzy Kolber, Pro Football Hall of Fame Steve Young, Todd McShay, Max Kellerman and Keyshawn Johnson. ESPN’s top personality, Stephen A. Smith, is still with the network, but when talking about the layoffs on The Stephen A. Smith Show on Monday, the First Take host said, “More is coming.”
“Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I could be next,” Smith said. “My eyes are wide open now. I’m never comfortable. I never take anything for granted and I never assume that I am safe.” It would be a surprise to see Smith be fired by ESPN because he’s arguably become the face of the network. But that could be a reason for the network to let him go since he reportedly gets paid $12 million per year, and the reason for the layoffs is for ESPN to meet fiscal goals for this year and beyond. It fired on-air talent with large salaries so people who work behind the scenes could keep their jobs.
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Smith understands that this is part of the business but is unhappy about how it went down. “ESPN just the other day laid off about 20 members of its on-air talent,” Smith said. “Friends of mine, actually, definitely respected colleagues who have done a phenomenal job and deserved better. But it’s not Disney or ESPN that they deserved better from, they deserved better than the times we are living in.”
Smith took time to recognize several colleagues who were let go, including Max Kellerman who hosted First Take with Smith from 2016 to 2021. “I am not happy that he is gone. We all know what history we had. We all know what happened with he and I parting ways on First Take. I don’t want the brother unemployed. I want him gainfully employed. I want him having a job and a career,” Smith said. “And that brother knows his boxing inside and out, is smart as a whip, and has been around a long time. I wish him no ill will. And, matter of fact, although I sincerely doubt he ever will, if he ever called me needing my help, I would not hesitate to help him.”
