ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith Is Already Plotting His Law & Order Return — Ahead of His Debut

Courtesy of NBC

It doesn’t matter that Stephen A. Smith, ESPN host/sometime actor/presidential hopeful? (we’ll get to that later), won’t make his Law & Order debut until later this week. It’s also of no concern that his character gets murdered before the opening theme plays: He’s already prepping for his return to Dick Wolf’s long-running franchise.

Smith will appear in this Thursday’s episode (8/7c, NBC) as a tough-love sports agent that gets stabbed to death. (That’s no spoiler: It’s verbatim from Episode 21’s official synopsis.) Smith would’ve loved to have played a lawyer, but his schedule didn’t allow for the requisite number of shooting days. That said, we all know how Dick Wolf shows love to bring actors back in different parts, so…

“‘m not ruling out the possibility that you’ll see me in a courtroom for Law and Order somewhere in the future,” he says.

The importance of the upcoming guest spot notwithstanding, Smith also recently made headlines when President Donald Trump said he’d “love to see” the broadcaster run for president in 2028.

“Stephen A., he is a good guy, a smart guy,” Trump said during a NewsNation interview. “I love watching him. He’s got great entertainment skills, which is very important. People watch him.”

Trump later added, “I’ve been pretty good at picking people and picking candidates, and I will tell you: I’d love to see him run.”

Will Thursday’s Law & Order double as the soft launch of Smith’s presidential campaign? That was one of a few topics covered when he and I chatted Monday morning.

TVLINE | You’ve done a bit of work in scripted TV. [Editor’s note: Smith — to this day — plays a recurring character, a henchman named Brick, on ABC’s General Hospital. He’s also played himself on shows like black-ish and Luke Cage.] Talk to me about how this Law & Order stint came about.
STEPHEN A. SMITH | I have a place in California, and I was there on business. I ran across a writer for Law and Order, her name is Pam Wechsler, and she said to me, “Oh my goodness, would you be available to do something for Law & Order?” I said, “What? *The* Law & Order?!” She was like, “Could you do that if we wrote something for you?” I said, “Absolutely. Consider it done.”

Now, my problem was that I really, really wanted to be a lawyer in the courtroom. But that requires an inordinate amount of days, you know, to commit to. And with my schedule, particularly this time of year with the NBA playoffs and everything like that, I don’t get a day off. So I really didn’t have the time to do it. But I’ve seen characters on Law & Order die and then come back a different character. So I’m not I’m not ruling out the possibility that you’ll see me in a courtroom for Law & Order somewhere in the future. I’m still holding out hope for that.

But I really had a blast. I love the show. Season 3 through 21 with Sam Waterson was my — I never missed a single episode. All-time favorite. They’re fabulous. So it’s an honor to be a part of it.

I don’t know of too many great actors that exist in American history in the modern era that have not been on Law & Order. So who knows? Who knows what this could mean for me? [Laughs] That’s how I’m looking at it.

TVLINE | How long did it take to shoot your scenes?
It was two days. One day was for the scene where I was killed, and the other day was obviously just doing my lines and stuff like that.

TVLINE | From the teaser, it looks like maybe your character is taken down in Central Park — or, at least, a park.
[To show rep who is nearby] She’s asking me where did I did — am I allowed to reveal that? [Pause] They said to watch the show. I can’t reveal that. [Laughs] I’ve never done this stuff. I don’t know what I can reveal and what I can’t!

TVLINE | I understand, you don’t want the Wolf Entertainment snipers coming for you.
That is correct.

TVLINE | Well, I will tell you this: Something definitely happens to you in a park. It’s in the teaser. Are you aware that characters in the Law & Order universe, when they set foot in a park, bad things happen to them?
[Laughs] That’s the absolute truth. I totally remember that. I’ve never seen somebody in the park and they survived. Everybody dies in the park.

TVLINE | Can you tell me if you had any scenes with the main cast?
I’ve had with the with the main cast, police officers when the they discovered my body, that kind of stuff… It’s just a really, really great experience, and I’ve never been one that felt like I was an actor or anything like that. General Hospital has been telling me I can act and all of this stuff, but I just grew up watching the soap opera. This was different because it’s prime time. It’s Law & Order. You’re looking for something that gives you the juices for it, and this was it for me.

TVLINE | I know you already talked to Jake Tapper about this, but I have a feeling you were holding back and waiting for TVLine: Do you want to formally announce your presidential bid right here, right now?
I’m not announcing a bid. I’m not a politician. I think, if you see the news, you see the contract that I signed for. [Editor’s note: In March, Smith signed a reportedly five-year, $100 million contract with ESPN.] I have a very, very good life. I don’t need to engage in politics.

But I will leave the door open for any possibilities. Who knows what the future will bring?