Stephen A. Smith makes surprising Pat McAfee admission as one major difference explains his unusual ESPN success
Smith Comments on McAfee’s Unique Path
When asked if Pat McAfee is following a similar trajectory to his own, Smith was clear in his response. He stated, ‘No, no, I don’t look at McAfee as emulating me. I look at Pat McAfee as somebody that’s charting his own path.’ This reflects Smith’s view that McAfee is establishing a distinct career path rather than mirroring his journey.
The Pat McAfee Show averaged 436,000 viewers across TV and digital platforms during 2025, its best year on ESPN, according to Front Office Sports. In September 2025, the show also passed one billion social media views in a single month, according to ESPN. ESPN said the show generated 242 million total views across platforms during its first four weeks after joining the network in 2023.
I don’t think it’s fair to be compared to Pat McAfee,” Smith said. he said that still does not put him in the same position as McAfee Although Smith now has his own media company and more freedom outside ESPN. The arrangement has also helped McAfee keep the personality and style that made his show popular before ESPN came aboard. His program is built around his own voice, his team and a format that developed outside the network. The audience numbers show why ESPN wanted that arrangement. The network had seen strong early results, too. Smith also made clear that he respects what McAfee has built rather than seeing the success as a simple competition between them. “This is a man that bet on himself, and I get that. His point was simple: McAfee did not become independent after joining ESPN. He arrived with an independent business and made ESPN part of it. That distinction is central to Smith’s view of why McAfee has such unusual freedom within the network.