Stephen A. Smith will hit a major money milestone with an ESPN contract extension: $100 million.
The First Take host, known for his unfiltered sports commentary and on-air debates, has signed a new five-year deal with the Disney-backed sports giant, a person familiar with the matter confirmed to Variety, that will pay him as much as $20 million per year.
The Athletic first reported that Smith and ESPN had come to new terms. Variety reported in December that the sports outlet and Smith’s representatives were moving closer to an agreement.
ESPN declined to comment, as did WME, the talent agency which represents Smith.
The deal keeps one of ESPN’s signature voices at the network at a time when Smith is looking to extend his influence. He has tried his hand at an independent podcast, and has been making appearances on Fox News Channel, NewsNation and HBO’s Real Time With Bill Maher, all to talk about politics and national issues—fare he doesn’t often allude to when he’s hosting First Take.
The agreement is the latest in ESPN’s efforts to sign top talent to its roster. In recent years, the network has poached Troy Aikman and Joe Buck from Fox to lead the calls for Monday Night Football; paid handsomely to sign the outspoken Pat McAfee and license his popular YouTube program; and enlisted former Philadelphia Eagles player Jason Kelce. ESPN has also been paying out top dollar for multi-year deals for rights to NBA and NFL games, though it recently opted out of an MLB agreement.
Smith is making the grade even as others at Disney are not. Earlier this week, the company cut approximately 200 jobs across ABC News and its TV-entertainment operations.
The $20 million per year term for Smith is noticeably higher than the $18 million a year ESPN was said to have offered last June, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal. Smith had been making $12 million a year under his previous agreement with the Disney outlet.
