ESPN teammate chides Stephen A. Smith as new SiriusXM Radio radio show drama continues
ESPN's Joe Fortenbaugh, who co-hosts 'Carlin vs. Joe' weekdays from 12-3 p.m. ET on ESPN Radio, called out Stephen A. Smith on Thursday over his new show that will now compete in that time slot in a back-and-forth that alternated between joking and serious tones.
The exchange came on the heels of Michelle Beadle calling out Smith after the reveal that his new show would take her spot on SiriusXM, which led to her and co-host Cody Decker being fired.
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'This guy, what's with this new radio show?' Fortenbaugh asked Smith on 'First Take' on Thursday. 'You realize you're going up against me and my time slot, aren't ya? What are ya doing?'
5 Joe Fortenbaugh will now be competing against Smith.
@awfulannouncing/X
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Smith, whose show is set to launch Sept. 2 on Mad Dog Sports Radio, per The Hollywood Reporter, then defended his actions and attempted to play nice.
'I'm sorry to hear that. I'm sorry to hear that,' Smith said before Game 1 of the NBA Finals. 'I didn't take that into consideration, but opportunities arose, not just for me, myself, but for my production company and I couldn't turn it down. I'm sure you could appreciate that. You're a star here at ESPN, but if you ever need another job, I'm happy to bring you on board, I love you, Joe, you know that.'
5 Molly Qerim (l), Fortenbaugh (c) and Stephen A. Smith (r).
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'First Take' host Molly Qerim then asked Fortenbaugh if she will have to choose who she's going to listen to and that's when the the latter took a dig at Smith.
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'It's not a decision. You listen to so much of this all day, do you want more of this?' Fortenbaugh said.
Qerim responded: 'You're right. I'm not listening to SiriusXM radio, I got you.'
5 Qerim making her point to Smith.
@awfulannouncing/X
Smith didn't seem to take her remarks in a joking fashion.
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'I'm not interested in Molly listening to me, I really am not. That's not my target audience,' Smith said. 'There's a whole bunch of ladies out there that show me a hell of a lot more love than she ever would, and a whole bunch of people like Joe who would show me more love as well. I'm not worried.'
Qerim then clapped back.
'I got it, your target audience is yes men and yes women, OK, not people that give you the truth,' she said.
Smith retorted: 'Call it whatever you want.'
5 Smith has a new radio show coming on Sirius XM.
@awfulannouncing/X
This exchange adds to a week in which Smith has come under fire from Beadle since his arrival led to her exit.
Beadle said she was 'blindsided' and 'really embarrassed' upon learning of the fate of her 'Beadle and Decker' show through a report, and then went after Smith.
Smith will also have a second show with SiriusXM.
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5 Michelle Beadle in 2016.
Scott Clarke / ESPN Images
'I don't respect him,' Beadle told Front Office Sports. 'I don't respect his work. He doesn't like me. This goes back to the Ray Rice stuff. He made some really piggish comments on the air. I responded; he got suspended for like two weeks. I think that was sort of the beginning of the end for anything.
'I just don't respect him. I think he gets things wrong all the time. I'm not talking about opinions; those can never be wrong. But factually, when you spread yourself so thin, it's hard to be right. Not a fan.'
Smith attempted to distance himself from the manner in which Beadle learned of the developments.
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'I want to state for the record just so everyone knows what kind of man I am and what kind of teammate I am. I had no idea that folks did not know,' Smith said Wednesday on SiriusXM's VSiN Live program with Patrick Meagher and Dustin Swedelson prior to Beadle's Front Office Sports interview.
'I was told by SiriusXM to wait until this morning on 'The Howard Stern Show' to make the announcement. Whatever communication they had with anybody who's there, where they're staying, where they're being moved to. Who's staying, who's going or whatever. It's none of my business.'
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