ESPN Brings Legendary Reporter 20 Years After Exit as Stephen A. Smith Receives Official Warning

By the time you finish reading this news article, we bet you will start humming the SportsCenter theme back from what is considered the golden era of ESPN. It was the late 90s, and ESPN headhunters didn’t take long to notice the young 26-year-old. And between 1996 and 2003, Rich Eisen would show up every day to work the 2 a.m. show alongside Stuart Scott, which would re-air seven times each morning to appear in over 100 million homes. Looking back, he’d quote it as the “monster beginning” he needed, and it was special in more ways than one. He would meet his wife, Suzy, in the newsroom there, and had three kids that he technically still likes to call “ESPN babies.”

But when he left ESPN for NFL Network in 2003, it wasn’t just a career pivot; Rich Eisen was probably following up on the epiphany he had as he was chasing an ambulance through three red lights as a backup cops beat reporter many years ago. That is, to build his own brand. He helped shape NFL Network’s identity from the ground up, became the face of “NFL GameDay,” and along the way, built something personal—and how most of us know him today, The Rich Eisen Show.

A comeback on ESPN was always on Eisen’s mind. In a discussion with Ariel Helwani back in 2022, per his own confession, Eisen was “ready to” take his show to ESPN but had no idea “why it didn’t happen.” Well, it is finally happening!
Per The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand, here is the latest we have:

• Rich Eisen’s return is part of ESPN’s expected direct-to-consumer offering that is set to launch in the fall, where viewers can forgo cable to subscribe. It is a clear signal that ESPN sees original, personality-driven content as core to that strategy.
• Think of it as a potential complement to The Pat McAfee Show, which is also scheduled from noon to 3 p.m. ET on a daily basis. When ESPN licensed McAfee’s program (a five-year deal for $85 million), its key reason was its reimagined app and the direct-to-consumer product.
• Getting in Eisen’s show is ESPN’s another effort to grow the content on its platform, considering they tried getting Colin Cowherd on board too previously. Cowherd, however, decided to stay at FOX Sports and run his podcast, The Volume, there.
• There is a possibility that Eisen’s program, which currently runs from noon to 3 p.m. ET, may also be available on ESPN Radio, where it could be consumed as an anchor for the network.
• It will also run on ESPN+ and Disney+. However, these details are not yet confirmed. But what we do know is that Eisen’s show will be licensed by ESPN; That means he will maintain his ownership and editorial control.
• What’s interesting is that ESPN has been in talks with NFL Media. This could directly benefit Eisen as his role may grow further if something like this takes place.

Many prominent names were happy on hearing this. For instance, Albert Breer took to X and wrote, “I couldn’t be happier for my buddy @richeisen —from when I started working with him 15 years ago, he’s been loyal, and truthful, and always an amazing resource for me in so many ways. No one needs me to say it, but @ESPN is bringing back a superstar.”

While people are busy rejoicing in Eisen’s return, what’s happening with Stephen A. Smith?

Stephen A. Smith must ‘stop’!

Stephen A. Smith is ESPN’s voice. Or is he? The answer might vary depending on who you ask. NBA legend Charles Barkley just pulled the emergency brake on Stephen A’s expansion train. And this wasn’t a casual critique. Barkley, who’s heading to ESPN with Inside the NBA in 2025-26, made it clear: The nonstop Stephen A. content? It’s too much.

“You know, Stephen A.’s a friend of mine but he needs to stop right now,” Barkley said on OutKick’s Don’t @ Me podcast. The message wasn’t about tone or content. It was about saturation. “Less is more… the more you do, the less people take you serious,” he said, hinting that Smith was appearing on too many shows. Barkley isn’t just talking. He walks that line himself. Two commercials a year. Limited March Madness appearances. No extra shows. Why? “People get sick of you.” That’s a warning, not a whisper.

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And Barkley isn’t the only one noticing. Smith, who reportedly signed a $100 million deal for five years, is everywhere—First Take, NBA Countdown, interviews, late-night slots, and podcasts. You name it. ESPN is leaning so hard on him, the network might topple if he takes a vacation. For some fans, it already feels like an overload. As Barkley sees it, this isn’t about money or exposure. It’s about credibility. Relevance doesn’t require omnipresence.

Still, that’s the paradox: if Stephen A. stops, does the machine stop too? Maybe it does. But maybe the latest Rich Eisen move suggests that ESPN wants more voices than just one constant one for the fans to have varied content. What do you think?