TELEVISION host and analyst Stephen A. Smith rose to prominence for his coverage of various events in sports.
On the ESPN show First Take, the 55-year-old covers everything from the NBA to the NFL.
Where is Stephen A. Smith?
Stephen A. Smith has been absent on First Take – with fans joking about the amount of time he spends off.
The ESPN star is on vacation, having been out the first week of August, while Molly Qerim was also off for a couple of days.
However, on August 16, 2023, Chris Russo, aka Mad Dog, had fans fearing that Smith had actually left the show.
“A new era of First Take has begun. There’s no more Stephen A. It is me and a rotation of hosts,” he said. “We begin today and take it the next five or six years. We will do this show the way it is supposed to be done.”
However, Qerim said her beloved co-host will be on the show and he’s not gone just yet.
Smith’s lack of presence on the ESPN series never goes unnoticed by fans, who took to social media to make their thoughts known.
On Twitter, one viewer said: “Wtf they mean no more Stephen A Smith on HIS show?”
Another said: “No more Stephen A Smith on First Take. Way to ruin my mornings.”
When did Stephen A. Smith return to First Take?
It was previously revealed that Smith was out from his iconic position on First Take due to a shoulder surgery.
Fortunately, the sports personality made a comeback on August 15, 2022, per HotNewHipHop.
On July 29, he replied to a fan on Twitter asking about his comeback.
“when are you coming back!!!!! I cnt even watch first take without you
,” a fan questioned.
Smith commented back saying he would be returning to the show on August 15.
When did Stephen sign on with First Take?
From August 2005 to January 2007, Stephen hosted his own eponymous broadcast on ESPN titled Quite Frankly with Stephen A. Smith.
On June 4, 2012, the analyst returned to the network full-time as a commentator on First Take alongside Skip Bayless.
At the time, ESPN executive Jamie Horowitz said of the decision: “We tweaked the show format last year to focus more on debate and specifically on presenting and challenging Skip’s opinions and we saw our viewers respond to that change.
“Given the response we’ve seen on social platforms like Twitter and Facebook, we dug a bit deeper into the ratings data and know that the riveting combination of Stephen A. and Skip debating their views resonates with our viewers.”
He further shared: “Our plan with this relaunch is to give them even more of the show elements they like best.
“Stephen A. and Skip have both enjoyed long and successful journalism careers and their years of experience enable them to offer compelling opinions on a variety of topics.”
Horowitz added: “They will both passionately defend their positions.
“While viewers may not always agree with either Skip or Stephen A, the response across social media and the data both suggest that they are often entertained by the insightful conversations.”