Stephen A. Smith has watched his popularity steadily grow in recent years, and that is certainly reflected in the longtime analyst’s annual compensation.
Smith signed a new five-year, $105 million contract with ESPN earlier this year. The deal calls for him to continue to host “First Take,” but Smith is not obligated to make as many appearances across other network shows. That has given him more freedom to focus on his own brand and do more political commentary, which has also been a profitable venture for the 57-year-old.
According to Andrew Marchand of The Athletic, Smith also recently signed a three-year, $36 million with SiriusXM, where he hosts “The Stephen A. Smith Show.” On Wednesday night, Smith will launch a new weekly two-hour political talk show on Sirius called “Straight Shooter with Stephen A.”
Between his ESPN and Sirius contracts, Smith makes $33 million per year. Marchand estimates that Smith earns around $40 million total annually when you add in revenue from his podcast and YouTube channel.
Smith has made an effort to carve out a role for himself in political commentary, and that seems to have served him well — at least financially. There has been talk for years that he could run for political office, but it seems highly unlikely that he would want to change what he is doing given how profitable it has been for him.
Smith has been with ESPN since 2003. He has become the face of the network during a time when many other notable on-air personalities have either voluntarily left been let go.
