Seasoned sports analyst Stephen A. Smith made a gaffe on air when he referred to the Houston Texans’ wide receiver Christian Kirk as Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist who was assassinated in September 2025.
Per the Independent, Smith, 58, mistakenly mixed up their names while he was talking about the Houston Texans’ 30-6 playoff win against the Pittsburgh Steelers during Tuesday’s episode of First Take.
Smith was touching on Christian Kirk’s performance when he mistakenly referred to him as Charlie Kirk. Christian Kirk was particularly outstanding during the game, as he set a postseason record with eight receptions, 144 receiving yards and a touchdown.
“We saw Charlie Kirk catch eight receptions for 144 yards,” Smith said live on air. First Take host, Shae Peppler Cornette, then chimed in to correct Smith.
“I’m sorry, I apologize,” Smith said in response. “Oh my God, I meant Christian Kirk.”
“We saw Charlie Kirk catch 8 receptions for 144 yards…I apologize. Oh my God. Christian Kirk” – Stephen A. Smith pic.twitter.com/PPQXMjXFEr
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 13, 2026
On September 10, 2025, Charlie Kirk, 31, was assassinated during a question-and-answer session with students while at a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. The fatal shooting was captured on video, and the footage went viral on social media. His killing also made global headlines.
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The suspect accused of killing the controversial right-wing activist, Tyler Robinson, 22, was arrested after he turned himself in to authorities on September 11. Robinson faces a slew of charges, including aggravated murder.
Though a section of people welcomed the news of his assassination, Smith, on his Straight Shooter show in December 2025, emphasized that Kirk’s killing was not justified, Face2Face Africa reported at the time.
The 58-year-old made those comments when he condemned President Donald Trump after he scathingly rebuked Rob Reiner following the killing of the filmmaker and his wife Michele. Rob was an outspoken Trump critic.
“When Charlie Kirk got assassinated, people like myself and various others were like: ‘Yo! He got killed. Don’t come to us with the rhetoric that you believe he was spewing online or when he was going to college campuses,” Smith said.
“All of that is up for debate in terms of what he said, how offensive it was and all that other stuff. I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about prioritizing a core level of decency.”
Smith also emphasized that “when somebody gets killed, that ain’t the time to be sticking out your chest and basically indicating that they brought it on themselves – when there should never be any place for violence.”
