(NewsNation) — Sports broadcaster Stephen A. Smith has spent more than a decade atop the morning sports talk scene with his bombastic style and opinions often carrying the conversation forward.
In recent years, Smith has spread his reach beyond the sports sphere and joins Chris Cuomo for a live town hall special on NewsNation at 8 p.m./7 CT.
Bill O’Reilly, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Mark Cuban, and others will join Smith in the preelection town hall in front of a live studio audience.
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Stephen A. Smith’s sports media career
After graduating from Winston-Salem State University in 1991, Smith’s first journalism role was at the Winston-Salem Journal.
Smith then went on to the Greensboro News and Record before moving to the New York Daily News. His first big break came as an NBA and sports columnist at the Philadelphia Inquirer.
The New York native is most widely known for his role with First Take; ESPN’s flagship morning sports debate show.
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Smith has taken creative control of the show in recent years and has also furthered his reach outside of sports with an eponymous show that airs on social media as well as ESPN.
In an interview with the Washington Post, Smith said he has invested more than $1.5 million of his own money into a studio and associated costs to produce the show.
Stephen A. Smith in politics
The veteran sports broadcaster has expanded beyond sports through his shows, as well as other avenues including CUOMO and Fox News.
Smith often joins Cuomo alongside O’Reilly to discuss the latest happenings in American politics, covering topics such as the presidential and vice presidential candidates, as well as Taylor Swift‘s influence on the election.
He and O’Reilly are not afraid of challenging one another.
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In August, Smith said O’Reilly was “detached from reality” after the latter argued “skin color doesn’t have anything to do with politics” during criticism of former President Donald Trump and ABC News’ Rachel Scott.
After Sean “Diddy” Combs was denied bail amid charges of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking, Smith contended the arrest will have far-reaching implications.
Last month, Smith took questions from CUOMO viewers on a variety of topics including Trump declining a second debate with Vice President Kamala Harris and the traffic stop of Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill.
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Smith unleashed a side to him that was largely familiar to ESPN viewers while on Fox News with Sean Hannity last week.
Hannity argued Harris should have spoken out regarding President Joe Biden’s declining mental state, a notion rejected by the sports commentator.
“I know you’re not talking about someone being lucid and cogent and … you’re bragging about Donald Trump,” Smith said. “We can’t be watching the same stuff.”
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“What is she supposed to say, Sean?” Smith asked. “You don’t dime out your boss.”
When Hannity suggested Smith would privately vote for Trump, he strongly denied it.
“Never,” Smith said. “And I told you, I’m on the record: I would’ve voted for any Republican but him. … Not him.”
