Stephen A. Smith Mistakenly Calls Houston Texans Player Charlie Kirk On-Air
What To Know
- Stephen A. Smith mistakenly referred to a Houston Texans player as Charlie Kirk on ESPN’s First Take.
- Fans reacted to the on-air flub via social media.
- Smith previously shared his thoughts on Jimmy Kimmel being suspended from ABC as a result of on-air comments made about Kirk’s death.
Stephen A. Smith accidentally brought up Charlie Kirk during a conversation about football on the Tuesday, January 13, episode of ESPN’s First Take.
Smith joined Chris Canty, Jeff Saturday, and Shae Cornette on the show to discuss the Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Houston Texans NFL game the night prior. The game saw the Texans defeat the Steelers with a score of 30-6. In his commentary, Smith mistakenly called Texans player Christian Kirk by the wrong name.
“We saw Charlie Kirk catch eight receptions for 144 yards,” Smith stated, referring instead to the conservative activist who was killed in September 2025. Cornette corrected Smith, who quickly apologized for the mistake.
“Oh, yeah. I’m sorry,” Smith stated. “I apologize. Oh, my God. Christian Kirk.”
ESPN posted the complete First Take discussion via YouTube, but Smith’s Charlie Kirk comment was seemingly edited out. Fans, however, captured the moment and shared it via social media, along with their reactions to Smith’s on-air flub.
“To be fair, I call Christian Kirk, Charlie, all the time 💀💀,” one X user wrote in Smith’s defense. Another tweeted, “Man said Charlie Kirk with full confidence too 😂.”
“We saw Charlie Kirk catch 8 receptions for 144 yards…I apologize. Oh my God. Christian Kirk” – Stephen A. Smith pic.twitter.com/PPQXMjXFEr
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 13, 2026
Someone else came to Smith’s defense, stating, “People are killing SAS for this one, and as someone who does TV, but not nearly as much as him, these things happen. Familiar name sounds like [the] name you’re looking for. I think most criticism, in this case, is overreaction. Trust me, it happens. Don’t think there [is] any intent.”
A different person posted, “My mom mixes my name up with my siblings’ all the time. Don’t read into this too much.”
“What a mix up lmao 💀,” another X user shared, while someone else wrote, “This mix-up is hilarious but shows how little mainstream sports media actually pays attention to real football talent. Charlie Kirk dominates debates while Christian Kirk quietly cooks on the field.”
Back in September 2025, Smith spoke out when comments Jimmy Kimmel made on-air about Kirk’s assassination resulted in Jimmy Kimmel Live! being temporarily taken off the air. Many viewed the suspension as an attack on free speech from President Donald Trump‘s administration.
“I am incredibly alarmed by what appears to be our First Amendment rights being attacked. This is what I do for a living. I don’t like that. But you know he’s coming. And you know part of the reason why is to get back at everybody who tried to take him down,” he said on SiriusXm radio show at the time, referring to Trump. “The man is coming, and you have to adjust accordingly.”
First Take, Weekdays, 10 a.m. ET, ESPN
Watchlist Easy access to only the shows you care about — all in one simple place
Alerts Only important notifications — when a show is returning, when it becomes available to stream, and more.
Special Offers Exclusive products we release related to your favorite shows and streaming services