Veteran sports journalist Michelle Beadle gave her Sirius XM audience a window into the chaotic industry on Wednesday shortly after learning she was losing her job to ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith.
‘All I ask is to be treated with respect,’ the blindside host said Wednesday.
Although they knew they were on their way out, Beadle and co-host Cody Decker didn’t know they were being replaced by Smith until his interview with Sirius XM’s Howard Stern earlier in the day.
‘Yeah so the cat’s out of the bag, I guess we’re talking about it,’ Beadle told her audience. ‘We weren’t supposed to, just as a heads up. We were only given a few hours’ notice, but we weren’t told any details, we were promised that no details would be released. We didn’t even know who was taking our place in the lineup, just that it was going to be announced that a new show was being added.
‘Unbeknownst to us, “The Hollywood Reporter,” of course, had all the details,’ Beadle continued, referring to an article about Smith’s interview with Stern. ‘So it was a little embarrassing, I’m not going to lie. I’ve been in this business for 20-plus years, I’ve been treated poorly a couple times, this didn’t feel good, I’m not gonna lie.’
Smith recently signed a five-year, $120 million extension with ESPN, but told Stern he’d add a pair of SiriusXM shows to his already busy schedule beginning in September. One of those gigs will be replacing Beadle & Decker.
Michelle Beadle gave her Sirius XM audience a window into the chaotic industry Wednesday
Meanwhile, the other will be a weekly program about current events and pop culture.
‘To say that I’m excited would be an understatement,’ Smith said. ‘I’ve been on Mad Dog before, had the time of my life. So I’m loving the fact that I get to reunite with my guy, Mad Dog, on his turf. That, in itself, is a beautiful thing. But to then add a weekly show where I have a potent platform to discuss riveting subjects in the world of pop culture, politics and social commentary.
‘Let’s just say it doesn’t get any better than that. September can’t come soon enough. It’s been a long time since I’ve been in radio… especially going back and forth with the callers. Can’t wait to get re-started. Buckle up! I’m coming!’
Some listeners have expressed disappointment over the move, which gives Smith yet another platform to grow his soaring notoriety.
‘Kinda bummed, the show grew on me over time,’ one fan wrote. ‘I don’t hate Stephen A but I definitely did not need more Stephen A.’
Stephen A. Smith is adding two new SiriusXM shows to the sports pundit’s busy schedule
Beadle previously had a couple of stints at ESPN, one of which she thought was cut short because she’d angered LeBron James.
The issue, Beadle told podcaster Renee Paquette in 2022, stemmed from her poking fun at ‘The Decision’ – the televised 2010 special in which James announced he was signing with the Miami Heat.
‘I made fun of The Decision, and I was one of about a bazillion people that did,’ Beadle said in 2022. ‘This was a long time ago, I guess when I followed him, and I got a DM that was, ‘Why are you so mean to me on television?’ And I just sort of laughed it off, I didn’t even think about it.
‘Of course I took it personally, it was personal, he wanted me fired, he tried to do that,’ she said. ‘But then I found out after the fact, when all of this sort of came out, I would get messages or texts or videos from people being like, that kind of s*** was happening to them too. He was super petty and he would try to have some sort of an effect, whether it would be small or whatever, just an effect.’
James has never addressed the allegation.
