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In recent years, Stephen A. Smith has firmly established himself as the face of ESPN. And after toying with the idea of expanding his reach beyond sports, Smith is officially set to become a figure in the world of politics.
Smith has made appearances on various political platforms and discussed politics on his eponymous YouTube show, but that relationship with political commentary will grow in 2025. Amid rumblings of him running for an elected office, Smith will fully immerse himself as a full-time political commentator.
The undertaking outlines a potential pathway that would see Smith go from sports to political commentary before running for office. He has addressed the idea of running for United States president in the past, and the latest developments only add fuel to that fire.
Does Smith plan to run for president? Here is what to know about his role in politics, and if that means he would run to become the commander-in-chief.
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Is Stephen A. Smith running for president?
Smith has not announced a formal bid to run for political office, but he has addressed the idea of doing so on multiple occasions. The prevailing theme is that he plans to keep his options open.
In August 2025, Smith appeared on HBO's "Real Time With Bill Maher" and discussed the possibility of a presidential campaign, saying, "I can't imagine myself doing it, but I haven't ruled it out, because I'm disgusted with what I'm seeing on the left."
Smith's August comments came with a different tone from statements made in the spring of 2025.
In April 2025, Smith told ABC News he had "no choice" to consider running for president, 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."
While Smith said he "never had a desire to be a politician," he added that he would "leave the door open for any possibilities some two-three years down the line." That same month, he also posted this: "Hate the thought of being a politician. But sick of this mess."
One month later, Smith told Deadline he has "no intentions" of making a presidential run, adding that "I’m leaving my options open, but in the same breath, I have no desire to be a politician at all."
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Is Stephen A. Smith a Democrat or Republican?
Smith is a registered independent who leans left, he explained to CNN in May 2025. He told The Washington Post that "I’m definitely a centrist, but in the same breath I think that both sides periodically try to malign those who are centrists because they accuse you of not having a principled position."
Should he run for president, Smith has insinuated that it would be as a Democratic candidate.
"That's why somebody who's a sports analyst, for crying out loud, is in the daggone on poll," Smith told ABC news in April. "Yeah, it's not, it's not somebody big upping in me. It's an indictment against a Democratic Party that doesn't have leadership. It doesn't have a vision."
He has also said that "I think the Democratic Party, in the state that they find themselves in, I think somebody like me could actually win."
Stephen A. Smith political views
Smith has characterized his political leanings this way: "I’m fiscally conservative when it comes to my money. I’m socially liberal. I’m liberal when it comes to social issues pretty much across the board."
In April, Smith spoke at length about the United States imposing tariffs on foreign nations.
"I mean, this whole tariff war situation is utterly ridiculous," Smith said. "I mean, my attitude was, is that [President Donald Trump] should have immediately targeted China and not every nation on the planet, for crying out loud, just throwing tariffs at everybody. Ultimately, he dialed that back, as we saw over the last few days, and folks on the right are up in arms."
Smith concluded his point by saying, "Basically, I should say -- I mean positively, essentially saying that that was the plan all along. There doesn't appear to be a plan. Let's be, let's be very, very clear about that. It seems to be a bit very haphazard, and you know it's just thrown against the wall to see what will stick. But in the end, you know, what you have to applaud them for is for trying something."
In February, Smith spoke about diversity, equity, and inclusion during an appearance on Fox News' "Hannity."
"My issue with the eradication of DEI was… the explanation that the Trump administration and others were giving about it. I don’t want to hear DEI automatically being about people who happen to be minorities that are unqualified.
"That is what I was saying, is that it’s one thing to get rid of it altogether. It is another thing entirely to articulate and verbalize the position that, excuse me, you know what? Everybody that was associated with DEI are unqualified individuals."
Smith also used an appearance on NewsNation's "CUOMO" to discuss views on the Gaza Strip.
The ESPN analyst categorized President Trump's suggestion to "own" the Gaza Strip as "ridiculous," saying “We shouldn’t be hearing about real estate opportunities out of the mouth of the president of the United States."
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Stephen A. Smith politics show
Smith's foray into politics intensified with a political talk show called "Straight Shooter with Stephen A." on SiriusXM's bipartisan POTUS ("Politics Of The United States") channel.
Of the show, Smith told The Washington Post that "I will call both sides out every single show, every single moment I get. I will spare no one. I’m not here for that."
The weekly talk show debuted on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025.
Political commentary is not necessarily new territory for Smith, who has made regular appearances on Fox News and NewsNation, while also speaking on politics on his YouTube channel.
His official role as a political commentator could open the door for even more political ventures.
Stephen A. Smith career timeline
Smith, a New York native, began his journalism career as a student at Winston-Salem State University in Winston-Salem, N.C. His first stint with ESPN began in 2005 and he has been back with the network since 2011.
Here are some of the highlights from his media career:
- 1987-1991: Student, Winston-Salem State University
- 1991: Writer, Winston-Salem Journal
- 1992: Writer, Greensboro News and Record
- 1993-94: Writer, New York Daily News
- 1994-2008, 2010: General sports columnist, Philadelphia Inquirer
- 2003-07: ESPN analyst on "NBA Shootaround," "SportsCenter," ESPNEWS, and "Pardon the Interruption" contributor, "1st and 10" participant
- 2005-08: WEPN Radio, New York City
- 2007: Final hour of WEPN show airs on ESPN Radio
- 2005-07: ESPN host of "Quite Frankly with Stephen A. Smith"
- 2009-11: Fox Sports Radio contributor
- 2011-13: ESPN columnist, radio host
- 2012-Present: Host, ESPN "First Take"
- 2013-17: Sirius XM Radio host
- 2022-2023: Host, "Know Mercy with Stephen A. Smith" on YouTube
- 2023-Present: Host, "Stephen A. Smith Show" on YouTube
Stephen A. Smith net worth 2025
Smith has a net worth of $45 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
The exact figure may be more difficult to nail down, as Smith's annual salary is believed to be nearing $40 million when considering his roles with ESPN, SiriusXM and revenue from his YouTube channel and podcast.
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