Since bringing The Pat McAfee Show into ESPN’s daytime lineup in 2023, the program has become one of the biggest shows on ESPN, with its 2025 average viewership across TV and social media reaching a record 436,000 viewers. McAfee’s growing influence at ESPN has now prompted Stephen A. Smith to explain why Pat McAfee’s influence should not be measured with his own, citing creative differences as a big reason behind his answer.

Speaking on the FOS Tonight Show, Smith said, “No, no, I don’t look at McAfee as emulating me. I look at Pat McAfee as somebody that’s charting his own path. I have to give respect and praise where it’s due. This is a man that bet on himself, and I get that. I don’t think it’s fair to be compared to Pat McAfee.

“Pat McAfee has a level of independence that I’ve never had. He owns his own platforms. He leases that to ESPN. I am employed by ESPN because ESPN owns First Take.”

Smith pointed to the difference between their ESPN relationships, explaining that McAfee built his own brand before bringing it to the network, while Smith’s platform was created and owned by ESPN.

The former Indianapolis Colts punter launched the Pat McAfee Show in 2017 and developed it independently before ESPN entered a licensing agreement with him in 2023. Under that arrangement, McAfee retains the ownership of the program while ESPN carries it across its television and digital platforms.

The numbers show why ESPN was willing to welcome the program. In 2023, within the first four weeks of The Pat McAfee Show airing on ESPN, the network saw a record 242 million views, with 1.4 million total reach averaged per show across TV and YouTube.

By September 2025, the show recorded more than 1 billion social-media views in a single month while averaging 447,000 live viewers across ESPN and YouTube. ESPN recorded 2025 as the show’s most-watched year since its arrival on the network.

“Pat’s impact is undeniable, and we are thrilled with the phenomenal results his show continues to achieve. Garnering over a billion views in a single month is an extraordinary accomplishment, proving the power of the loyal and growing audience that he and his team have worked so hard to develop,” said Burke Magnus, ESPN President of Content, October 15, 2025.

Pat McAfee‘s approach to ESPN has been rooted in the format he grew up with. Hosting a personality-driven sports program with his signature humor and unscripted discussions. Pat himself operates the show studio, employs his production crew, and handles content distribution for the business.

This arrangement clarifies Smith’s emphasis on McAfee’s freedom. ESPN licenses the show rather than employing McAfee as the show’s host. His other roles with the network include his work for ESPN’s College GameDay, creating a distinction between his program and his work for ESPN.

Meanwhile, Smith has been part of ESPN since 2003 and returned to First Take as a commentator in 2012. His latest ESPN deal, announced in 2025, keeps him with the network for at least another five years and also gives him opportunities outside the traditional ESPN structure.

Smith now owns a media company and has built platforms outside ESPN. But as the commentator himself acknowledged, McAfee’s show is different because the foundation was his before the network took over.

McAfee’s independence empowered him to make his own identity that attracted the audience in the first place, and that might be the biggest secret behind how the former NFL punter has such an influential place at ESPN.