Stephen A. Smith Joins Mad Dog Radio, Beadle Responds

NEW YORK, N.Y. — Stephen A. Smith will join ‘Mad Dog Radio‘ on Sirius XM this September, taking over the 1-3 p.m. ET time slot. This news comes as a surprise to the current hosts, Michelle Beadle and Cody Decker, who have occupied that position for the past two seasons.

Beadle responded strongly to the announcement, expressing her disdain for Smith. “I don’t respect him,” she said. “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.”

In 2014, Smith faced backlash for his comments regarding domestic violence following the incident involving Rice and his then-fiancée, which ultimately ended Rice’s playing career. Smith later apologized for his remarks.

The move reunites Smith with Chris ‘Mad Dog’ Russo, who has co-hosted with him on ESPN’s ‘First Take’ over recent years. Smith previously worked with SiriusXM from 2013 to 2017 before returning to ESPN Radio.

Beadle admitted she was not expecting this change. She revealed that she learned about Smith’s move through a report she read rather than being informed by her bosses. “The Hollywood Reporter comes out—and there’s his face. I should have known,” Beadle said. “That was just kind of gross. I was totally blindsided. Just really embarrassed, to be honest.”

Both Beadle and Decker received only a short notice regarding the change, leaving them feeling disrespected. “It’s a reminder: We’re just all pieces of sh*t to someone,” Beadle stated, reflecting on the situation.