Michelle Beadle didn’t hold back. The former ESPN star and SiriusXM radio host came out swinging after learning that Stephen A. Smith would be taking over her weekday time slot on Mad Dog Sports Radio beginning September 4, 2025.
In a candid interview with Front Office Sports, Beadle let loose a scathing critique of both Smith and SiriusXM’s handling of the shake-up, calling the move “embarrassing” and labeling Smith with brutal words:
“I don’t respect him. 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.”
For Beadle, the wound wasn’t just about being replaced, it was about how it happened. She said she was blindsided, having found out the news not from her employer but from an article in The Hollywood Reporter.
Her frustration wasn’t just professional. It was deeply personal. Beadle and Smith have a rocky history dating back to 2014, when she publicly called out his comments on domestic violence in the wake of the Ray Rice scandal. At the time, Smith had suggested that women could sometimes provoke abuse, a take that led to a two-week suspension from ESPN.
Beadle also took a shot at SiriusXM’s lack of transparency. She emphasized that she had no problem with being replaced but lamented the lack of courtesy or heads-up from her bosses.
Meanwhile, Stephen A. Smith, who announced his return to radio during an appearance on The Howard Stern Show, seemed thrilled about his upcoming partnership with Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo.
The two shows he’ll helm will replace The Beadle and Decker Show, and given the history between the two hosts, it’s safe to say the drama off the air may overshadow what happens on it.
For Beadle, the end may be coming, but her voice isn’t going quiet just yet. And as for Stephen A.?
She’ll let the listeners decide — but it’s clear where she stands.
