ESPN’s recent layoffs have created a ton of conversation across the media industry. So much so that one of the network’s top stars felt it was important to weigh in on what transpired.
On his podcast The Stephen A. Smith Show, Smith talked about the number of on-camera personalities he considered friends losing their jobs. He said the cuts were long-anticipated.
“When Disney announced that 7,000 layoffs were coming, everybody associated with ESPN knew this day would arrive,” Stephen A. said. “Folks as individuals were just hoping it wasn’t them.”
Stephen A. recognized NBA contributor Jalen Rose for doing an outstanding job covering the league for the network. He did the same for Jeff Van Gundy, adding that he considered him a hall of fame analyst who wouldn’t be out of work very long.
After offering praise for Keyshawn Johnson, a friend of his for 20 years, Smith talked about his former First Take partner Max Kellerman. He said the way the two worked together on First Take is well-documented, but he has no ill-will towards Kellerman.
“I am not happy that he is gone. We all know what history we had,” Smith said. “We all know what happened with he and I parting ways on First Take. I don’t want the brother unemployed. I want the brother gainfully employed.”
“Although I sincerely doubt he ever will, if he ever called me needing my help, I would not hesitate to help him,” Stephen A. added. “Just because I don’t want to work with you directly in a debate show doesn’t mean I couldn’t have worked with him covering a boxing match or doing a SportsCenter segment.”
While this latest round of layoffs is a bit shocking, Stephen A. circled back to the fact that he may not be safe either.
“This ain’t the end. More is coming. And yes, ladies and gentlemen, I could be next,” he said. “Let me tell you something. Don’t ever, ever, ever in your life as a Black person, take anything for granted.”
“My eyes are always wide open. I’m never comfortable,” he continued. “I never take anything for granted, and I never assume that I am safe. And First Take‘s number one and been number one for 11 and a half plus years.”
Stephen A. did have a message for the haters who questioned why ESPN let certain personalities go and allowed him to stay.
“Y’all can kiss my ass twice. And I’m talking directly to the people in the industry who’ve sat up there and said, ‘Why isn’t Stephen A. gone?. Ladies and gentlemen, we got a few people at ESPN getting paid more than me. They don’t have the number one show. They don’t have the top ratings. They don’t generate more revenue. How come y’all didn’t bring their names up? And by the way none of them are black. How come you didn’t bring their names up? I wonder why!”
But not ruling out that he could be let go in the future, Smith said people shouldn’t get mad at the company making a business decision.
“You shouldn’t blame Disney, and you shouldn’t blame ESPN,” Smith remarked. “This isn’t some corporate lackey taking the whole corporate line. I’m paying attention, and I’m reading the tea leaves and I’m telling you what it is. You can either listen or not.”
“It’s a numbers game. It’s about revenue and ratings. Revenue being paramount at Disney. Why? COVID-19, ladies and gentlemen,”
He further explained, “Don’t you remember the parks being closed? You don’t know how much money is generated from the parks in Anaheim and Florida and France and Shanghai, Tokyo. COVID-19, the coronavirus pandemic, was not just in the United States of America. It was worldwide. Do you have any idea how much money was lost?”
Stephen A. finished by acknowledging that Disney is still trying to climb out of a financial hole. He pointed out that billions of lost dollars can’t be made up overnight.
“If Disney didn’t lose five and a half billion dollars, Jeff Van Gundy wouldn’t be gone,” he said. “David Pollack wouldn’t be gone. Todd McShay, Jalen Rose, and Neil Everett and others wouldn’t be gone. More cuts wouldn’t be on the way.”
“Following the cuts behind the scenes, I didn’t bring up the producers and the editors, and all these wonderful people that I work with that lost their jobs,” he added. “Or those who are still there that are worried as hell that they’re going to lose theirs. Because they see the climate.”
