Michelle Beadle Goes Off After Being Fired By SiriusXM: 'We're Just All Pieces Of Sh-t'
The former ESPN co-workers don't exactly see eye to eye.
With SiriusXM adding Stephen A. Smith to its programming lineup, it meant someone had to make way for the ESPN personality and his new show. That someone turned out to be former ESPN host and analyst Michelle Beadle, who was none too pleased about the situation.
Smith first shared the news on June 4 that he would be returning to Mad Dog Radio on SiriusXM in the early Fall with a weekday show running from 1-3 PM, which will be replacing Beadle's ‘Beadle and Decker’ show she co-hosted with Cody Decker for the last two years.
Beadle and Decker went on the air shortly after the announcement to discuss the situation, claiming that they learned the news about Smith taking over their time slot from media reports, and not from the company itself.
"The cat's out of the bag, I guess we're talking about it. We weren't supposed to, just as a heads up," Beadle said. "We were only given a few hours notice but we weren't told any details, we were promised that no details would be released. We didn't even know who was taking our place in the lineup, just that it was going to be announced that a new show was being added."
"Unbeknownst to us, 'The Hollywood Reporter,' of course, had all the details," Beadle continued. "So it was a little embarrassing, I'm not going to lie. I've been in this business for 20-plus years, I've been treated poorly a couple times, this didn't feel good, I'm not gonna lie."
The Athletic reported the following day that SiriusXM's split with Beadle and Decker had been made official.
Stephen A. Smith is taking over Michelle Beadle's time slot on Sirius XM later this year. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Beadle kept things standard and rather cordial while discussing the situation on air, but got a bit more blunt when speaking to Front Office Sports about being let go to make way for Stephen A.
"It’s a reminder: We’re just all pieces of sh-t to someone. If you forgot, there it is," Beadle told the outlet. "’The Hollywood Reporter’ comes out — and there’s his face. I was like, ‘I should have known.’ That was just kind of gross. I don’t care that we’re being replaced or what have you. It happens all the time. But a little respect would have been nice. Good Lord. I was totally blindsided. Just really embarrassed, to be honest."
Beadle and Smith go way back, and as she described it, there is "no love lost" between the former coworkers.
Long story short, Beadle did not agree or appreciate how Smith handled the Ray Rice violent assault video from 2014 involving his wife, as Smith made comments on domestic violence. Smith went on to apologize for the comments he made and was ultimately suspended for one week.
"I don’t respect him. I don’t respect his work. He doesn’t like me. This goes back to the Ray Rice stuff," Beadle told Front Office Sports. "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," she says. "I just don’t respect him. I think he gets things wrong all the time."
Smith's new SiriusXM show is set to debut on September 2.