Stephen A. Smith has never been shy about expressing his aspirations to become more than just a sports pundit. Smith has floated a few different things as he’s become more and more prominent for always being awake and near a camera for ESPN, with a move to late night television being one of the things he’d like to explore.
Fortunately for him, there might be a job opening elsewhere in the Disney umbrella for him. Jimmy Kimmel has recently expressed that he could retire once his contract is up in 2026, and in a recent comment to Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports, Smith made clear that he’s into the idea of taking over that spot.
“I’d be very interested in succeeding him,” Smith answered. But only if his bosses at Disney, such as chairman Bob Iger, asked him to follow in Kimmel’s footsteps as ABC’s late night star.
Smith does have a tiny bit of experience in the world of late night TV, and unsurprisingly, it involves Kimmel. Back in 2021, Smith guest hosted an episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, where he had some fun at the expense of people who did the milk crate challenge (remember that one?).
Smith’s contract situation is also a bit up in the air, as his deal with the Worldwide Leader in Sports is up in the summer of 2025. How seriously he looks into doing something other than returning to ESPN remains to be seen, but at the very least, he’s doing a good job letting his bosses know that he’s looking around and wants to take on different responsibilities, I suppose.
Source: https://uproxx.com/sports/stephen-a-smith-very-interested-taking-over-jimmy-kimmel/
