Stephen A. Smith is not hesitant about making his opinions known on First Take and The Stephen A. Smith Show throughout the week. The featured commentator recently took time out of his schedule to record a new episode of a video series with GQ Sports titled “Actually Me,” where guests go undercover on the internet and respond to comments or questions pertaining to them. Throughout the 10-minute segment, Smith logged on to X, Instagram and YouTube among other social media platforms under the pseudonym, “ActuallySAS,” and gave his opinions on commentary from viewers and fans.
On TikTok, a user repurposed an old clip of Smith discussing former Oakland Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell, who played three years and 31 games in the National Football League after being selected first-overall by the team in 2007. After Russell spoke with Sports Illustrated and insinuated that sleep apnea and lack of support from coaches and players were behind his struggles, Smith appeared on ESPN and likened him to a thief. Throughout his rant, he proceeded to call the No. 1 overall pick a “disgrace” and a “fat slob, no-good, lazy bum of a quarterback,” parlance that one user noted would be looked at differently in today’s society.
“How much has ESPN changed from then till now?,” user “yoshimitchell” asked on TikTok. “This seems so unhinged, LMAO.”
Smith replied by saying that ESPN has not been the entity that has changed; rather, the network has had to adapt to changing societal conditions and standards of what is considered accepted. Being able to give an opinion on television without avoiding incessant levels of scrutiny has augmented in difficulty, according to Smith, especially in an era when commentary is rapidly documented.
“Our level of sensitivity has been heightened to an alarming level; the slightest offense could cost you your career, not just your job,” Smith said. “I can’t go to work every day, be on national television or be on the radio or be on the airwaves of my podcast, The Stephen A. Smith Show, telling you lies. I’ma let you know where the hell I stand; I don’t give a damn what anybody says.”
Another clip later in the video posted to Reddit demonstrated one of Smith’s rants about marijuana and how athletes being paid millions of dollars should be able to resist use of the psychoactive drug. The question left in the comments section of the video by user “No-Elderberry-3743” asked if Smith plans out his rants or if he improvises what he is going to say live on the air. Smith answered the question by pointing to his preparation as being the reason he can elocute points in different ways wherefore he does not pre-script the way he goes about delivering a take.
“I always do my homework before I speak publicly,” Smith said, “but I don’t definitively know what I’m going to say until it’s time to speak.”
