Stephen A. Smith hinted at the idea of leaving ESPN with some recent social media activity.
On his X (previously known as “Twitter”) account, Smith shared a link to a story from Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports with a headline that read, “Shannon Sharpe Positioned As Perfect Successor To Stephen A. Smith.”
Many are interpreting this as a hint from Smith that he could be leaving ESPN in the not-so-distant future. According to McCarthy’s report, Smith has two years left on his deal with the Worldwide Leader in Sports.
Sharpe left FS1 earlier this summer after co-hosting “Undisputed” alongside Skip Bayless for nearly seven years. Bayless previously worked with Smith on “First Take” before leaving for FS1 back in 2016.
Smith acknowledged back in July that he could be part of ESPN’s long list of layoffs. The words from Smith surprised many since the 55-year-old draws huge ratings for ESPN’s “First Take” program.
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Earlier this summer, ESPN conducted several rounds of layoffs. This included notable talents like Suzy Kolber, Jalen Rose, Jeff Van Gundy, Keyshawn Johnson, Max Kellerman, Steve Young, Matt Hasselbeck and Todd McShay.
Back in February, Disney CEO Bob Iger warned that they would be looking to cut 7,000 jobs, with the idea of saving $5.5 billion for the company.
Smith had expressed interest in replacing Pat Sajak as the host of “Wheel of Fortune”, but it was quickly announced that Ryan Seacrest will replace Sajak when the latter steps down in September 2024.
