What just happened on First Take?
Stephen A. Smith seemed to have lost a tooth during a segment on the hit ESPN show, which Adam Schefter was quick to point out.
However, Smith was even quicker to point out that, no, it was not a tooth that fell out of his mouth.
“Before we go anywhere, Stephen A, America wants to know what the hell just came out of your mouth?” Schefter asked.
“Is that a tooth?” Dan Orlovsky joked.
“It was one of my protein tablets,” Smith replied. “That’s what it is, I got it right here. It’s not my tooth, I can assure you that I have my teeth.”
“I thought it was a golden tooth or something that popped out,” Orlovsky continued.
“Listen, at the rate Dan Orlovsky is going, he’s probably going to be the one rocking a gold tooth in a little bit,” Smith joked back.
In summary, no teeth were lost on First Take.
ESPN’s flagship program better hope that their newly minted $100 million man isn’t already losing his teeth.
Smith recently signed a five-year contract extension worth at least $100 million.
Smith has been the face of the global network for the last couple of years, as his popularity and fame have only risen since then.
He is worth every penny to ESPN, and they are compensating him as such, and his good friends are ribbing Smith about it.
Earlier this year, Chris Russo let Smith have it, after the First Take studio lost power, forcing the show to move to the hallway.
Russo wasn’t too pleased.
“We lost power,” host Molly Qerim announced to the audience coming back from commercial break.
“So Mad Dog, tell us why you’re mad?”
“If they didn’t pay Stephen A. $400 million, maybe they could pay their freakin’ bills, ESPN!” Russo angrily joked.
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“I mean goodness gracious, how dare you squeeze me and stick me in a hallway, with lights from 2000.
“Look at that, I don’t like that!” As he gestured to the hallway’s surroundings.
“You took me away from my sight all because you have to pay him $150 million, guaranteed.”
Qerim and Smith could do nothing but laugh during the segment. It can even be argued that he’s worth more than the reported $100 million he is getting.
Maybe not the $400 million that Russo playfully joked around with, but that number can be divided by two and is probably more reflective of Smith’s actual worth.
Although it is hard for anyone to complain about signing a nine-figure deal. Whether that’s 100 million or 400 million.
And the good news is, Smith still has all of his teeth, despite Monday’s scare.