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New York Post
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Stephen A. Smith's shocking fate on ‘Law & Order' revealed
He's ready for his close up. ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith continued his acting career with an appearance on the Thursday episode of 'Law & Order' – as a murder victim. 'It was crazy to say the least,' Smith told The Post in a May 6 interview, ahead of the episode airing. Advertisement 'I mean, from the standpoint of knowing who [sports agents] are and how they can be as professionals, I get that because I've been in sports journalism for over 30 years, so in that regard, that's fine. But it's still a challenge when you have to go in front of the cameras on a set and act the role and step out of character and be something that you're not.' 8 Dushaun Thompson as Jackson Dean, Stephen A. Smith as Ted Hunter. Virginia Sherwood/NBC 8 Stephen A. Smith as Ted Hunter, Dushaun Thompson as Jackson Dean in 'Law & Order.' Virginia Sherwood/NBC Advertisement The episode is called 'Tough Love,' and it sees Smith play Ted Hunter, an outspoken sports agent who was stabbed to death while he was out jogging in Central Park, leaving numerous suspects. In the episode, Ted advises his NBA client (played by Dushaun Thompson) to 'make changes, bro,' and fire members of his entourage, in order to save money. Ted then criticizes his client and tells him to 'get real' because he's not LeBron James, he's a 'rotation player.' 'You damn sure aint large enough to be having some entourage!' Ted slams his client. Advertisement 8 Reid Scott as Detective Vincent Riley, Mehcad Brooks as Detective Jalen Shaw, standing over the body of Ted Hunter (Stephen A. Smith). Virginia Sherwood/NBC 8 Reid Scott as Detective Vincent Riley, Mehcad Brooks as Detective Jalen Shaw on 'Law & Order.' Virginia Sherwood/NBC 8 Stephen A. Smith playing a murdered man on 'Law & Order.' NBC As the police stood over his dead body in Central Park, Detective Jalen Shaw (Mehcad Brooks) found Ted's ID in his pocket and noted, 'he was about to turn 52 on Thursday.' Advertisement 'I hope he made the most of it,' Detective Vincent Riley (Reid Scott) quipped. It turns out the murderer was his son, Josh (Arthur McAlpine III), who Ted had abused. The NBA analyst and TV personality has made forays into acting before, as he also had a role on 'General Hospital' since 2016, playing Brick, the Corinthos family's surveillance and tech expert. Smith explained that he was approached by Pam Wechsler, a writer for 'Law & Order,' about the guest star role on the show — just as he was for his role on 'General Hospital.' 'We were both in LA, said she was a fan and that many of her colleagues were fans and they wanted to know if I would be interested in appearing on 'Law & Order,'' Smith recalled of his conversation with Wechsler. 'And I said, 'The 'Law & Order'? Are you kidding me? Prime time? Are you kidding me? Absolutely!' So, I jumped at it and that's how it happened. I was ecstatic.' 8 Reid Scott as Detective Vincent Riley, Mehcad Brooks as Detective Jalen Shaw, Maura Tierney as Lieutenant Jessica Brady on 'Law & Order.' Virginia Sherwood/NBC 8 Dushaun Thompson as Jackson Dean, Stephen A. Smith as Ted Hunter in 'LAw & Order.' Virginia Sherwood/NBC Smith credited 'General Hospital' star Maurice Bernard, who's played Sonny Corinthos on the soap since 1993, along with producer Frank Valentini, for taking him under their wing in Hollywood. Advertisement He also attributed longtime 'General Hospital' stars, Laura Wright, who plays Carly Corinthos, and Steve Burton, who plays Jason Morgan, for 'teaching me about the profession.' 'I remember when Maurice Bernard told me one time [on set], 'This is who I need you to be at this moment.' And when I went and taped the scene for 'Law & Order,' I was like, 'This is who I need to be in this moment right here. This is what it calls for,'' Smith told The Post. He added, 'And I knew it instinctually because of the things that they taught me over the years, and I'm incredibly grateful to them, and they're all my friends and we communicate all the time.' 8 Stephen A. Smith attends a playoff basketball game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors at Arena on May 08, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. Getty Images Advertisement Smith signed a five-year, $100 million contract extension with ESPN in March, according to The Athletic. So, he won't pivot to acting any time soon. 'It would have to be the right opportunity, of course,' Smith said of future acting roles. 'I mean, I have a day job that pays me pretty well, so I don't really need the work.' He added, 'If I'm gonna do it, it has to be the kind of [role] that I want. I want to be in the movies. I want to be on primetime television. I want to be on epic shows like 'Law & Order,' I want to work with great actors and great directors and stuff like that. It's certainly something that I aspire to do. There's no doubt about that.'
New York Post
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
‘Law & Order: SVU' has huge cast shakeup as 2 actors abruptly exit
Olivia Benson's elite squad is losing two of their own. Octavio Pisano, who portrays Detective Joe Velasco, and Juliana Martinez, who is Detective Kate Silva on 'Law & Order: SVU,' are exiting the NBC series at the end of Season 26. Pisano, 38, joined the drama during Season 23 as a former undercover agent turned Special Victims Unit detective. 8 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit' – Season 26. Peter Kramer/NBC 8 Octavio Pisano as Detective Joe Velasco. Virginia Sherwood/NBC Martinez, 34, only joined the cast during Season 26 as a former Brooklyn Homicide Unit detective who transferred over to the 16th Precinct. Neither have yet to publicly comment on the news. Martinez, however, did take to Instagram on April 17 to share photos of the cast. 'I hope you tuned into Law & Order Crossover and Organized Crime tonight!! It's also a SZN wrap on SVU. ♥️ Thankful to everyone who has tuned in and this whole, wonderful cast tonight,' she wrote. 'Y'all ruled my world x.' 8 Juliana Aidén Martinez as Det. Kate Silva. Virginia Sherwood/NBC 8 Octavio Pisano on 'Law & Order: SVU.' Peter Kramer/NBC Despite calling it a 'SZN wrap on SVU,' the series is currently still going with the season finale, 'Post-Rage,' airing on May 15. 'Law & Order: SVU' follows detectives from the Special Victims Unit as they investigate and prosecute sexually based crimes. Many episodes are loosely ripped from the headlines. The series — created by Dick Wolf — premiered 1999 with Mariska Hargitay (Olivia Benson), Christopher Meloni (Elliot Stabler), Dann Florek (Donald Cragen), Richard Belzer (John Munch) and Ice-T (Odafin Tutuola), as the titular cast. 8 Mariska Hargitay as Capt. Olivia Benson, Juliana AideÌn Martinez as Det. Kate Silva, AimeÌ Donna Kelly as Capt. Curry, Octavio Pisano as Det. Joe Velasco. Peter Kramer/NBC Hargitay, 61, still leads the show with Ice-T, 67, while Meloni, 64, exited in 2011. The actor now stars in the spinoff 'Law & Order: Organized Crime,' which is airing its fifth season on Peacock. In April, Hargitay reflected on starring on the procedural show for 26 years. 8 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit' – Season 26. Peter Kramer/NBC 8 Juliana AideÌn Martinez on 'Law & Order: SVU.' Peter Kramer/NBC 'It feels like running a marathon, and when you're in it, all you see is this much ahead of you. I've been so busy, so challenged and it requires so much of me that all I can do is be on the treadmill of trying to keep up,' she said while on 'Sunday Today With Willie Geist.' Hargitay sees parallels between her and Benson climbing up the ranks of their perspective fields. 'I would describe it as sort of the perfect feminist story,' she expressed at the time. 'There are these stepping stones of growth and integration and owning something. It's been such a beautiful evolution and such a beautiful journey.' 8 Octavio Pisano as Det. Joe Velasco, Ice T as Sgt. Odafin 'Fin' Tutuola, Juliana Aidén Martinez as Det. Kate Silva, Mariska Hargitay as Capt. Olivia Benson, Peter Scanavino as A.D.A Dominick 'Sonny' Carisi Jr., Kevin Kane as Det. Terry Bruno. Ralph Bavaro/NBC via Getty Images The actress confirmed the casting stories, that she and Meloni stepped into a room together and Wolf, 78, said 'that's it.' 'Absolutely,' Hargitay stated when Geist, 50, asked if she felt that way too. 'It was sort of a once in a lifetime experience. I knew quickly this we had this kind of magical chemistry. Chris and I are polar opposites in terms of who we are as people and yet there was this ying yang. When they paired us I was like, 'Oh this is done.''
