Stephen A. Smith — $12 Million

Don’t take him too seriously when he refers to himself as “grossly underpaid” because Stephen A. Smith clears an estimated $8M annually from his ESPN duties. He earns another $4M each year from a production contract bringing his totals to $12M. The “First Take” commentator also frequently serves as a “SportsCenter” NBA analyst. 

He hosts a self-titled program on ESPN Radio and lends his penmanship to The Philadelphia Inquirer and ESPN.com. In June 2021, Smith broke into the field of soccer coverage and also hosted the “Ain’t No Way” segment. He equally made bank from acting appearances in “General Hospital” and “I Think I Love My Wife.”