Popular ESPN Personality Jabs Stephen A. Smith's Enormous Salary During 'First Take' Power Outage
Beloved ESPN personality Chris "Mad Dog" Russo was, well, mad as hell, but it was all in good fun.
Russo playfully lashed out Wednesday during a live segment on First Take, which lost power at its New York studio. The incident meant Russo's segment had to be moved to, of all places, a hallway, alongside First Take host Molly Qerim.
Qerim informed viewers they were relegated to a hallway due to the studio's power outage. Meanwhile, Stephen A. Smith chimed in from a remote studio, and cameras zeroed in on him when Russo unleashed a hilarious rant that poked fun at Smith's recently signed five-year contract worth at least $100 million.
"We lost power. So, 'Mad Dog,' tell us why you're mad. I'm sure you're not happy about this" Qerim teed it up for Russo, who didn't disappoint.
“If they didn’t pay Stephen A. $400 million, maybe they could pay their freakin’ bills, ESPN. [Network president] Jimmy [Pitaro] and the fellas,” Russo ranted. “I mean, goodness gracious. How dare you squeeze me and stick me in a hallway ... you took me away from my sign, all because you gotta pay [Smith] $150 million guaranteed?”
The First Take studio lost its power, forcing Chris "Mad Dog" Russo to do his segment in the hallway.
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 28, 2025
"If they didn't pay Stephen A. $400 million, maybe they could pay their freakin' bills, ESPN." pic.twitter.com/ddTd3vIK0b
Related: Stephen A. Smith Signs Record-Breaking New ESPN Contract
Smith's expression to the rant is also priceless, as he smirked and lowered his head as if bashfully ashamed.
It was nearly three months ago when Smith inked the lucrative contract that made him ESPN's first $100 million man, becoming the network's highest-paid personality ever. He was coming off a deal that paid him $12 million per year.
Once hailed by The Wall Street Journal as the face of ESPN, Smith's deal put him at $20 million per year, just over Pat McAfee, who earns more than $17 million per year in a licensing deal with ESPN. Smith also earns more per year than Troy Aikman ($18 million) and Joe Buck ($15 million). But Smith's per-year deal still doesn't come close to Tom Brady, who reportedly earns $37.5 million per year as an NFL analyst for Fox Sports.