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Former ESPN Star 'Doesn't Respect' Stephen A. Smith

Originally posted on The Spun | By Chris Rosvoglou | Last updated Jul 5, 2025 3:25 PM ET

Stephen A. Smith has apparently made some enemies on the road to becoming a $100 million broadcaster for ESPN.

Smith is undoubtedly the face of ESPN at the moment. The "First Take" commentator has become so popular that something as ridiculous as him playing solitaire during an NBA Finals game becomes a huge story.

In addition to being the top-paid personality at ESPN, Smith is set to host a pair of shows for SiriusXM. He'll have a daily show on Mad Dog Sports Radio as well as a "weekly current events, pop culture and social commentary-focused show" on a separate SiriusXM channel.

There'll be plenty of people checking out Smith's show, make no mistake about it. One of his former colleagues, however, has zero interest in it.

During a June interview with Front Office Sports, former ESPN host Michelle Beadle unloaded on Smith. She made it abundantly clear that she's not a fan of his work.

"I don’t respect him," Beadle said. "I don’t respect his work. He doesn’t like me. This goes back to the Ray Rice stuff. He made some really piggish comments on the air. I responded; he got suspended for like two weeks. I think that was sort of the beginning of the end for anything,” she says. “I just don’t respect him. I think he gets things wrong all the time. I’m not talking about opinions; those can never be wrong. But factually, when you spread yourself so thin, it’s hard to be right. Not a fan."

Beadle's afternoon radio show with Cody Decker has been replaced by Smith's, so we understand why she's frustrated.

"We were only given a few hours notice but we weren't told any details, we were promised that no details would be released," Beadle said. "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. Unbeknownst to us, 'The Hollywood Reporter,' of course, had all the details. So it was a little embarrassing, I'm not going to lie. I've been in this business for 20-plus years, I've been treated poorly a couple times, this didn't feel good, I'm not gonna lie."

Maybe, just maybe, Smith and Beadle will eventually settle their differences. It seems unlikely at the moment though.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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