Stephen A. Smith says more ESPN layoffs are coming

Beware ESPN talent. Stephen A Smith, the highest paid employee at the network this side of Monday Night Football, thinks he’s not even layoff proof.

Network employees and diehard fans across the country still are processing the news that more than 20 on-air ESPN employees received a pink slip last Friday. Since that bloody day, we’ve learned even more people were laid off as the network wanted to get some lucrative contracts off the books for 2024.

And Stephen A Smith, host of ESPN’s First Take, warns there could be more cuts coming.

“If we’re going to be real about it, let’s deal with reality,” Stephen A Smith told listeners on his own podcast. “This ain’t the end, more is coming. And yes, ladies and gentlemen, I could be next.

“Let me tell you all something. Don’t ever, ever, ever in your life as a Black person take anything for granted. I told you before, when white folks catch a cold, Black folks catch pneumonia…The one thing I could tell you about Stephen A, this ain’t 2009. I really didn’t see it coming. My eyes are always wide open now. I’m never comfortable. I never take anything for granted and I never assume that I’m safe.”

But for Stephen A to leave, ESPN would need to negate one of its biggest investments. Front Office Sports reported earlier this year that Smith earned the biggest pay check at the network among every day employees. Troy Aikman and Joe Buck, ESPN’s broadcast team for Monday Night Football, earn more than Smith. But they’re in a separate category.

Smith mentioned some more names who lost their jobs.

“ESPN laid off about 20 members of its on-air talent … friends of mine, actually, definitely respected colleagues who’d done a phenomenal job and deserved better,” Stephen A Smith said. “It’s not Disney or ESPN that they deserved better from, they deserved better than the times we’re living in.”

Smith then gave a nod to NBA analyst Jalen Rose. “Got a lot of love for that brother,” he said of Rose. “A lot of the great work he’s done over the years, what he’s represented for the company… I’m going to miss him. Jalen Rose has always been good to me and I loved working with him on NBA Countdown. He is a brilliant basketball mind, he is somebody that worked his ass off all the time. There was never an assignment he backed away from, there was never a time he didn’t want to work.”

And Smith mentioned Jeff Van Gundy, the coach turned terrific NBA analyst. “Jeff was an outstanding, brilliant basketball analyst for ESPN for years. I could say I’m gonna miss him, but I just can’t imagine he’s gonna be out of work for long. I’m sure I’ll see him on-air doing his thing. He’s been a Hall of Fame analyst and commentator.”

The football side also suffered heavy losses. ESPN terminated Suzy Kolber and Steve Young, two hosts of Monday Night Countdown, the pre-game show for MNF. The network also let go of Keyshawn Johnson, an NFL analyst, and Todd McShay, ESPN’s long-time draft guru. David Pollack, who was part of the popular ESPN College Football GameDay traveling pre-game show, also lost his job.