All about Stephen A. Smith, who says he has 'no choice' but to consider a run for President

There might be a new face in the run for the White House in 2028.


Who is it?


It’s Stephen A. Smith, the host of ESPN's ‘First Take’, who hammered the Democratic Party and suggested he has "no choice" but to consider a run for president.

The sports commentator and host of his own show -- ‘The Stephen A. Smith Show’ -- has become a vocal critic of the Democratic Party in the wake of its sweeping losses in last November's elections, which resulted in the party being locked out of power in Washington during Trump's second term.

Smith made headlines earlier this week when he said he was leaving the door open to a run for president in 2028, and recently told ABC News, "I have no choice, because I've had elected officials, and I'm not going to give their names, elected officials coming up to me. I've had folks who are pundits come up to me. I've had folks that got a lot of money, billionaires, and others that have talked to me about exploratory committees and things of that nature. I'm not a politician. I've never had a desire to be a politician."

Smith reiterated that because of the number of people asking him to consider a run, he has to leave the door open, saying, "Here's the reality: People, literally people, have walked up to me, including my own pastor, for crying out loud, who has said to me, 'You don't know what God has planned for you. At least show the respect to the people who believe in you, who respect you, who believe that you can make a difference in this country, to leave the door open for any possibilities some to three years down the line.' And that's what I've decided to do."


Who is Stephen A. Smith?


Stephen Anthony Smith, more popularly known as Stephen A., is an American sports television personality, sports radio host, and sports journalist. He makes frequent appearances as an NBA analyst for ESPN on SportsCenter, NBA Countdown, and the network's NBA broadcasts.

He has also hosted The Stephen A. Smith Show on ESPN Radio and is a commentator on ESPN's First Take, where he appears with Molly Qerim.


Early life and career:

Born in the Bronx borough of New York City, Stephen Anthony Smith was raised in the Hollis section of Queens and is the youngest of six children.

Smith graduated in 1986 from Thomas Edison High School in Queens.

Unknown to many, Smith attended the Fashion Institute of Technology for one year before receiving a basketball scholarship to attend Winston-Salem State University, a historically black university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

In college, Smith played basketball under Hall of Fame coach Clarence Gaines.

However, Smith's basketball career abruptly ended after a severe knee injury.

While still on the team, Smith wrote a column for the university newspaper, The News Argus, arguing Gaines should retire due to health issues.

Smith graduated in 1991 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in mass communication.

Smith began his print media career with the Winston-Salem Journal, the Greensboro News and Record, and the New York Daily News.


After starting his journey as a radio host in 2005 (of a weekday noon to 2 p.m. radio show on WEPN in New York City with his "right-hand man B.T. (Brandon Tierney)"), he became an on-air contributor to Fox Sports Radio in November 2009. Smith broke the story of Allen Iverson's retirement on the Chris Myers–Steve Hartman afternoon show on November 25.

Smith became a Fox Sports Radio morning show host in January 2010, replacing Washington, D.C.–based host Steve Czaban.

ESPN announced in February 2011 that Smith would return to ESPN as a columnist for ESPN.com and host for weekday local radio shows on 1050 ESPN Radio New York (WEPN-AM) at 7–9 p.m. ET as well as 710 ESPN Radio Los Angeles (KSPN-AM) at 6-8 p.m. PT.

He left LA 710 ESPN on April 24, 2012.

However, in May 2012, as part of the ESPN New York move to 98.7 WRKS, Smith replaced Robin Lundberg alongside Ryan Ruocco and debuted the Stephen A. Smith & Ryan Ruocco Show. The show came to an end in the summer of 2013, when Smith left ESPN for Sirius XM Radio, where he joined Chris Russo's Mad Dog Sports Channel.

In January 2017, Smith moved from Sirius XM's Mad Dog Sports channel back to ESPN.

Smith started his television career on the now-defunct cable network CNN/SI in 1999.

He is currently one of the hosts of First Take on ESPN. He also appears as an analyst on various ESPN programs.

Smith is known for provocative analysis and dour delivery and for his frequent use of catchphrases while hosting First Take, such as "blasphemous" when describing something completely outrageous that does not make sense to him.


Personal life:

Smith's parents were originally from Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. He has four older sisters and had an older brother, Basil, who died in a car accident in 1992. He also has a half-brother on his father's side.

His father managed a hardware store. Smith's maternal grandmother was white, and the rest of his grandparents were black.

Although much is not known about Smith’s personal life, the media personality revealed that he has not been married. In a September 2023 Instagram post, he stated that he is 55 years old, has never been married, and is happy with that choice. However, in a December 11, 2019, interview with GQ, Smith disclosed that he has two daughters.


Political ambition:

Although Smith has often described himself as an independent, his name has been included in a Democratic primary nationwide poll.

Back in November 2024, following the 2024 United States presidential election, Smith stated he would consider running if he had a reasonable chance of victory. Then in February this year, he stated on his podcast, The Stephen A. Smith Show, that he would entertain the idea of launching a presidential campaign .

His comments came after he was included in a Democratic primary nationwide poll, where he received 2% of the vote.

However, during an interview on Hannity in February 2025, he clarified his stance, firmly stating that he has no plans to run for the presidency, and elaborated on his own podcast that while he would run if there was enough popular support, he prefers to be a pundit rather than a politician – which needless to say – stands quite in conflict to his latest remarks on his plan to run for The Office in 2028.


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