Famed ESPN sportscaster Stephen A. Smith is set to make a guest appearance in an upcoming episode of Law & Order.
Smith has been one of the most prominent sports commentators in media today due to his hot takes on several issues on sports, politics, and pop culture that have become viral online and even led to clamor for him to run for president this 2028. Now, he is adding "Law & Order star" to his resume.
Stephen A. Smith Joins the Law & Order Universe
Smith, who is a long-time fan of Law & Order, is finally joining the hit series as he is set to make a guest appearance in an upcoming episode that will air this Thursday, May 8.
"From seasons 3 through 21 — Sam Waterston was my favorite — I never missed a single episode," he told People in an interview.
"I really enjoy the show. I've been watching it for years, and when I was approached by a writer, who I ran across here in Los Angeles, about making an appearance on the show, it’s something that I jumped at."
Smith added, "I never, in my wildest dreams, thought that I would get a call from Law & Order to appear. [It is] something that I’ve always wanted to do."
"So I mean, that's primetime, that's bigtime. It means the world to me to have this experience. And to be quite honest with you, I thought I stepped it up, and I thought that that's the best I've been yet. So I'm very, very happy about that, and I can't wait until everybody sees it."
Who is Stephen A. Smith Playing in Law & Order?
Smith will not be playing himself when he appears in this week's episode of Law & Order.
According to the logline, he is playing "a tough-love sports agent" who "is found stabbed to death, leaving the squad with a trail of suspects who wanted him gone."
"That was fun for me. I knew that I would know how to do that because I've been dealing with agents my entire career," Smith shared.
"So I know how they talk, I know how they act, I know how they feel. I know the nuances that come with their profession to some degree because I've experienced it. And so I just tried to bring that to the scene and tried to make it as real and as authentic as it possibly can be. And they say I was successful, so we're going to go with that."
Smith originally wanted to play a lawyer. However, his schedule wouldn't allow him to commit to that type of character.
"It would require a commitment spanning a multitude of days, and I don't have that time available to me at this particular juncture because of the NBA season and the playoffs approaching and all of that other stuff. So I couldn't do that. But outside of that, this was the next best thing," he explained.
Are you looking forward to watching Smith's Law & Order debut? Let us know in the comments!
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