With the news of Stephen A. Smith officially making his return to SiriusXM with two new, original shows taking place on the airwaves beginning in September, it signals additional alterations in the lineup for Mad Dog Sports Radio. Michelle Beadle and Cody Decker, who have been hosting a midday show on the channel since August 2023, were informed not to discuss the situation, but they nonetheless broached the topic on the latest edition of their radio program. Beadle has been in the business for more than two decades and expressed profound disappointment as to how everything unfolded.
“All I ask is to be treated with respect,” Beadle said. “Well, how many times do I say, ‘I give what I get, I get what I give,’ and so here we are. We’re going to do our shows because we’re contractually obligated to be here.”
Beadle expounded on this point, conveying that the duo would discuss the firing of New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau. On top of that, she outlined how they gave organic and genuine reactions to the situation that felt absurd following a 51-win season. Beadle called the move stupid, short-sighted and asinine before laughing and asking what is not, resulting in Decker opining that it would be a fun few hours. On top of that, Decker mentioned how morning host Adam Schein talked about how the big three were back, presumably referring to himself, Smith and Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo.
“Well, if you want two hours of, ‘Jamal Williams needs to show up for the Oklahoma City Thunder,’” Beadle said. “Wait, who’s Jamal Williams? That’s right – a guy who doesn’t exist. And by the way, I’ll have lots of these fun types of nuggets for you as long as we remain on the air.”
Beadle revealed that the show is coming in hot today and that the cat was out of the bag in that Smith will return to Mad Dog Sports Radio weekdays from 1 to 3 p.m. EST. Furthermore, he will have a weekly show based on “current events, pop culture and social commentary,” reuniting with Russo on the radio airwaves. While SiriusXM will now serve as his exclusive audio home, he is reportedly expected to continue producing his YouTube show without podcast distribution.
“We didn’t even know who was taking our place in the lineup, just that it was going to be announced that [a] new show was being added,” Beadle said. “Unbeknownst to us, The Hollywood Reporter, of course, had all the details, so that was a little embarrassing, I’m not going to lie. I’ve been in this business for 20+ years, I’ve been treated poorly a couple of times. This didn’t feel good, I’m not going to lie.”
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