If you made Stephen A. Smith t-shirts for a potential political campaign, they have gone to waste as the ESPN personality revealed he will not be running for president.
In recent months, Smith has teased the possibility of running for president, but in the debut episode of Hang Out with Sean Hannity, he made his decision loud and clear. Smith came to the conclusion that running for president would not allow him to keep making money.
“If I have to give up my money, it’s not happening,” Smith said to Hannity in the teaser clip.
“I’m not giving up my money.”
Stephen A. Smith shuts down talk of a 2028 presidential run.
Full episode drops tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/3fgI4Q0eho
— Sean Hannity 🇺🇸 (@seanhannity) March 9, 2026
When Smith talks about money, he means it. The First Take frontman signed a five-year, $100 million+ contract extension with ESPN in March 2025. A few months after he signed the contract, he spoke to Deadline about the possibility of running for president, where he kept an open mind.
“My life is pretty damn good,” Smith told Deadline following his debut on Law & Order last year. “Why would I ruin it by being a politician? So that’s my initial response. But in the end, you never know what God has planned for you, so you just leave your options open, and that’s what I’m doing.”
A few weeks before, he had a direct stance on the situation, adding that he “could never see himself as a politician.”
“I have no desire to do it,” said Smith to Barrett Media about running for potentially seeking the highest office in the country. “I’m living a pretty good life right now. Life’s been good. The last thing that I would want to do is involve myself in politics. I’ve always perceived politicians as being professional beggars. I don’t say that derogatorily or anything like that. It’s just the reality. You’ve always got your hand out for something. People always need favors in return. I’m not that guy. So I could never see myself as a politician.”
While it seemed that Smith was no longer considering running for president he seemed to have a more open outlook on the possibility. The media personality who is known for not holding back his opinion added that what moved to him to even think about running a campaign was for now liking how the current administration was performing in the country.
“Over the last few weeks, I’ve had no choice but to get more serious about it,” he shared. “I’ve been approached by people on Capitol Hill. I’ve been approached by people who are elected officials in office, whether it’s governors or mayors or what have you. People have legitimately, seriously, asked me about it. I have no desire to be a politician, but I’ve decided that I’m no longer going to close that door. I’m gonna keep my options open. I’m going to entertain the possibility. If it comes in late 2026, 2027, where I look at this country and think it’s an absolute mess and there’s legitimate reason to believe … that I indeed have a legitimate shot to win the presidency of the United States. I am not going to rule it out.”
Fans will be able to get a full in-depth answer from Smith on the debut of Hannity's show on Tuesday, March 10.
