Stephen A Smith and ESPN are reportedly closing in on a historic contract that would give the popular sports television pundit access to more of Disney's entertainment properties. The update comes as his current contract is set to expire in 2025. He earns $12 million a year under that deal.
Smith has previously suggested wanting to be the highest-paid personality on the network. ESPN recently signed Troy Aikman and Joe Buck from Fox to lead their Monday Night Football program. Additionally, they spent a massive amount to add Pat McAfee to their roster and even announced Jason Kelce will be getting his own late-night show in January.
Stephen A Smith & Bill Maher Attend A Los Angeles Lakers Game
During an interview with Chris Wallace for an episode of his Max series, earlier this year, Smith joked about wanting a bigger salary than Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. "I’m not getting specific as it pertains to numbers, because only a fool discusses his own negotiations while negotiating," Smith said at the time. "So I’m not going to go that far. What I would say to you is, I would ask, respectfully, pay attention to the industry. See what people are getting paid. See how much money they’re making and what they’re bringing to the table. Look at look at their ratings, look at their revenue that they’re generating, and look at mine. And so we all want what the market bears. Dak Prescott just signed a contract for $240 million he’s making 60 million a year."
The update on his upcoming ESPN deal comes as Smith has been making headlines for his commentary on politics in recent months. He discussed the victory of Donald Trump in the presidential election during an interview with Bill Maher on the Club Random podcast, last week.
[Via]