Sean Hannity Has A Big Job In Mind For ESPN's Stephen A. Smith
01/07/2025 05:40 PM
Could Stephen A. Smith switch from mornings to nights?
First Take has dominated sports discourse for years, but Smith continues to consider opportunities beyond that starring role. While that probably won't lead him to the White House, he has shown an increasing appetite to stray beyond sports.
During a recent interview with Sean Hannity, the Fox News pundit encouraged ABC to replace Jimmy Kimmel with Smith as a late-night host. Hannity's recommendation is fueled by a conservative disdain for Kimmel, a frequent critic of President-elect Donald Trump.
"Kimmel keeps saying late-night television is going away," Hannity said, via Awful Announcing. "I think you could save it ... You're funny naturally, and then they'd have 30 writers that make you funnier."
Smith said he's intrigued by hosting a political show where he can discuss "serious issues."
"I want to build my YouTube show into potentially a network or a cable news show," Smith said. "I love stuff like that … I'm a fan of Bill Maher. I'd love to do a show like him or what Jon [Stewart] does on The Daily Show."
Smith considered late night before Hannity's suggestion. In a June interview with Rich Eisen, Smith called the idea of hosting a show with a live studio audience "incredibly appealing."
"It's not the be-all-end-all," Smith said. "It's not to say I have to do that, but if an opportunity presented itself for me to do that on a weekly basis, it's certainly something I would entertain. Whether it's in the sports stratosphere or the political stratosphere, because I like talking politics. I like talking about some of the political issues that are percolating and permeating throughout our society and beyond."
Smith is currently in talks for a lucrative extension with ESPN that could involve more responsibilities beyond First Take. He denied recent reports of a $120 million deal.
"ESPN and I don't have an issue with the money. For me personally, there are a lot of other things that I want to do and I want the freedom to do it," Smith told Chris Russo in December. "We live in a different world and being able to diversify your portfolio and do things outside of that one job that you may have is incredibly important to me. So because that is of importance to me, that's the kind of thing that we have to work out."
Related: Stephen A. Smith Doesn't Hold Back On Idea Of Doing Political Show
