No matter what you achieve or how much money you have, eventually you’re going to need to get on the table for various treatments or surgeries. For ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith a recent trip to the oral surgeon has left him feeling down bad.
On his most recent show, Smith spoke to a caller who wondered if he was spreading himself too thin. Smith said that while he feels happy with his workload, it’s a recent dental surgery that has him down in the dumps.
Smith explained that he underwent “major dental surgery” and decided not to take any time off. He admitted that he has had stitches in his mouth and taking a lot of drugs for three weeks just to dull the pain.
“You should be worried. You have every legitimate reason to be worried about me based on how I have been the last few weeks,” Smith said. “Because I had major dental surgery, and I didn’t take any time off. I didn’t take any time off. That is the only thing that has been bothering me. Outside of that, I’m in the best health I’ve been in in 30 years. I love being on this show, I love being on SiriusXM. I love doing my morning show for ESPN with First Take. I am having the time of my life doing my job.
“I’ve just been really, really messed up over this dental surgery with stitches in my mouth that I just got taken out and drugs that I’ve had to be taking over the last three weeks because of pain. That’s what’s been going on with me, sir. I appreciate your concern, it’s legit based on what you’ve seen, but only because of the dental stuff.”
Fans in disbelief
Sports fans who heard the news weren’t entirely convinced that his problem stems solely from dental surgery.
“Bro must have epically bad oral hygiene and breath like a a dirty hamper if it takes him 3 weeks to recover,” one user mocked.
“Sure SAS,” another mocked.
“Also preceding dental surgery,” a third joked.
Stephen A. Smith (Stephen Smith) on the ESPN NBA Countdown live set at Intuit Dome.Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
That’s not quite how recovering from dental surgery works though. Even a mere wisdom tooth extraction can leave the mouth sore and swollen for over a month after it’s done – regardless of how good of a job the surgeon did.
Take it from someone who knows firsthand.
This story was originally reported by The Spun on Nov 11, 2025, where it first appeared in the Sports Media section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.