Stephen A. Smith, ESPN's highest-paid star, actually earns $12 million a year

Twitter

Smith's salary had been incorrectly listed as $8 million per year in a New York Post article about Maria Taylor seeking a new contract with a hefty raise that would be close to Smith's salary. "There’s been a lot of discussion lately about the salaries/salary demands of ESPN personalities," reports The Athletic's Richard Deitsch. "Per sources: Stephen A. Smith is around $12 million annually in total comp. That’s the current ceiling for on-air talent at ESPN and what agents/reps would be using as the ceiling." The New York Post's Andrew Marchand adds that the reason he incorrectly listed Smith's salary as $8 million is because he didn't include his $4 million-per-year production contract.