Stephen A. Smith Says Contract Talks With ESPN Have Been “Constructive,” Calls Report Of $120M Payday “A Lie”

ESPN host Stephen A. Smith said talks about a contract renewal with the Disney-owned sports outlet have been “constructive,” but he firmly denied a report his renewal may be worth $120 million.

The popular commentator, a ubiquitous presence across ESPN who also harbors ambitions to explore new horizons like late-night talk across the Disney universe, made the comments after calling in to Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo’s daily show on SiriusXM. Russo is a weekly guest on ESPN’s Smith-hosted First Take.

“Talks have been constructive and beneficial but we haven’t reached an agreement yet and until that comes, as far as I’m concerned, I’ve got six months or so to go to do the best job I possibly can do,” Smith said. His contract is officially due to expire on June 30.

Teased by Russo about the eye-popping value of the contract, Smith dismissed a report earlier this month by The Athletic pegging it at $120 million, going on to briefly elaborate on his dealmaking approach.

“I can assure you it’s not for $120 million. That is a lie. That’s not true,” he said. “Anybody that tells you that money doesn’t matter is lying so I would never insult you or your audience’s intelligence by saying such a thing. The money does matter but the money is there. That’s not the issue. 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. 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.”

Both sides have been “receptive” to each other, Smith said. “Hopefully we’ll reach an accord and I’ll be there for years to come and if it doesn’t work out then it doesn’t work out.”

In addition to hosting First Take and appearing as an analyst across several dayparts and platforms, Smith has a weekly podcast outside of ESPN’s auspices that goes beyond sports topics. He also has had a recurring acting role ABC’s long-running soap opera General Hospital, a sign of his interest in having a presence in many corners of the Disney empire.

The talks are playing out at a time when Disney and ESPN have been focusing their talent spending on a much smaller roster of top names. After layoffs in 2022 and 2023 saw some familiar faces leave the network, the company made significant investments in licensing Pat McAfee’s YouTube show and also have expressed optimism about re-upping Smith.

Disney and ESPN are facing a major crossroads in 2025 as they get set to launch a stand-alone streaming version of ESPN.