General Hospital
Stephen A. Smith, ESPN Host and ‘General Hospital’ Recurring Guest Star, “Leaving All Doors Open” to Presidential Bid in 2028
Soap fans know Stephen A. Smith from his role as one of Sonny’s (Maurice Benard) right hand men, “Brick” on General Hospital, while ESPN sports fans know Stephen A. for his often fiery commentary on the top stories of the day. But, will Stephen’s next move be as a Democratic presidential nominee in 2028?
After appearing at the the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) convention in Las Vegas, Smith posted an article about the speculation and wrote on his account on X, “Time to stop messing around. Life is great. Especially at ESPN/Disney. Hate the thought of being a politician. But sick of this mess. So I’m officially leaving all doors open.” Smith recently signed what is reported as a $100 million dollar 5-year deal with ESPN.
Taking to the stage at the Broadcasters convention, Smith elaborated t0 long-time media consultant Mike McVay. “I have no desire to do it. You just articulated my contract extension. I’m living pretty good. I personally perceive politicians being professional beggars. You always have your hand out and people need something in return.”

Photo: ABC
However, Stephen added that in recent weeks he has reconsidered his position, “Over the last few weeks, I had to get a little more serious about it.” Smith boasted, “Imagine me on a debate stage with these people, these politicians. This is what I do for a living. I am not a politician. I don’t have a political record for them to lean on. I can challenge what you literally say (as politicians). They would all know more than me at this particular time, but they have a record to address.” Stephen A. noted he won’t make a definitive decision until late in 2026.

Photo: ABC
Smith first appeared on General Hospital back in 2007 as a reporter during the Metro Court hostage crisis. A longtime fan of the series and in particular of the characters of Sonny and Carly (Laura Wright), Smith eventually was given the role of “Brick” starting in 2016.

Photo: ABC
When he debuted, “Brick” was known as a top-notch security consultant, and has returned numerous times over the last nine years to the ABC daytime drama series including this year in 2025; always help Sonny takedown who ever is trying to gain the upper hand on his territory in Port Charles, or those aiming to do harm to him and/or his loved ones.
So, what do you think of Stephen A. Smith seriously considering a run as the 2028 Democratic nominee for President of the United States? Comment below.
Time to stop messing around. Life is great. Especially at ESPN/Disney. Hate the thought of being a politician. But sick of this mess.
So I’m officially leaving all doors open https://t.co/n6BmAOKjiv
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) April 7, 2025
Guess what? The only person saying he should run is Stephen A Smith. No one is urging him to run as he maintains. The guy is an unqualified narcissist who makes ignorant statements not backed up by facts. He is a one man PR machine for himself. Let’s not give him the attention he is so desperately seeking. Right now we are living the nightmare of an unqualified, narcissistic celebrity serving as president. I don’t care if he’s a Democrat or a Republican, no more of this.
One hundred percent in agreement with your thoughts on this man. I cannot fathom how low the bar is for people to just throw their hats into the ring to run for POTUS. The equally frightening part is that people just as ignorant get a vote, and can (and do) put these unhinged, unqualified, uneducated, people into office.
It’s disconcerting for sure. Right now, with our country suffering from a constitutional crisis, this kind of talk is not helpful. Mr Smith can fight the good fight as a US citizen by calling his representatives, participating and organizing protest marches and use his influence to generate change. If he sincerely wants to obtain governing experience, he could start at the local level such as running for a seat on the board of supervisors in his district. As I said, HE is the one who keeps calling for HIM to put his hat in the next presidential race. Even his work associates joke about it. It’s embarrassing, and I wish he would just stop.
Harry…oh, I agree with you…TOTALLY!!!!! His GH character (and what kind of name is Brick anyway…lol) totally turns my stomach. To me, that clown has the face and look of an abusive psychopath. NO, NO AND MORE NO!!!!!
You really think you did something clever.
The guy is an ego maniac. No. No matter how much his invisible friends urge him to, he should NOT run for president.
I say go for it and let the voters decide. I can assure him though, he’ll never have my vote. I also despise his character on GH, just sayin’….Also, I’m not a sports fan, so I had no idea who he was except for GH.
Enough of this dragonshit. I’m going to run for President myself. How’s this for a bumper sticker slogan?
SATAN 2028 : Why settle for the lesser evil?
Hell, I’d vote for you over this guy or over the present regime for that matter. Great slogan!
If only I could vote.
You’d have my vote, Satan!
SATAN 2028: When You Hit Rock Bottom, Keep Digging!!
Oh please don’t. The guy flatters himself. While he might be an excellent sportscaster, he’s a lousy actor and would be an even worse president. We have living proof that celebrities with no experience or education in matters of governance, make disastrous presidents. I don’t know why Smith keeps talking about this but it appears to be a one sided conversation.
I can’t stand the character; I can’t stand the actor. He’s so completely clueless yet spews things as if he’s an expert. There needs (and has needed to be) a much higher set of qualifications to run for any elected office, let alone the President of the United States. The way it is is absurd. Absolutely surreal.
It’s not a big secret why you don’t like this character.
Why don’t I like this character? Because he comes off like a sleazy pimp; the way he talks, moves. Nothing about him to like. Never liked the character. But you seem to be implying something else.
I was implying that you’re a racist because you have repeatledly counted the number of black people on soaps.
Yeah I knew what you were implying. I just wanted you to admit it. Just shows you missed every point I made and guess what. I’m going to repeat it not for your benefit, but just so your comment isn’t left standing without context. What I SAID was, and STILL say, is that the black community is the ONLY minority to have a good representation on soaps. There is not ONE JEWISH character on GH. NOT ONE. There is Dr. O and Brad; the Asian characters. There are the Italian characters, the Latin characters, There are gay characters, a transexual…but not ONE Jewish character. We’ve had many Jewish actors, but for some reason GH will not write a Jewish character into the show, unless, like years ago, he was stereotypical Bernie. There was Matt Cohen, Tamara Braun, Rena Sofer, Amanda Setton, Stuart Damon, Sean Kanan, and other Jewish actors, and not ONE played a Jewish character. So yeah, when I hear complaints that there aren’t enough black characters on the show, I have counted how many there ARE on the show. It’s the same reason I’m not going to watch The Gates. I represent me and mine, just like the black community, the LGBTQ community, and every other community wants representation. If you can’t understand that, I truly don’t care. But don’t pull that racism card on me. I’ve made a point and racism isn’t it.
Bye Felicia.
I was a complete jackass when I made that comment and it was uncalled for. I apologize for offending you.
Thank you; I appreciate the apology.
Correction to my reply; Mrs. Wu, not Dr. O.
He was on Overtime with Bill Mahar and had a spirited conversation with Jesse Eisenberg two months back… on youtube
I saw that and he’s very entertaining but that doesn’t mean he’s presidential material. He’s a narcissist and his every sentence begins with “ I.” Meanwhile, he doesn’t bother researching the topics he has strong opinions about and he has no plans or strategies.
Did you miss what Jessie called him ? My comments stated “spirited” and were in support of Rebecca1’s.
Plus I have my own country’s upcoming election to worry about.
He’s a fool. He had Candace Owens on his podcast. If you’re not familiar with her she’s a vile, despicable female Hitler. She’s black; was one of Trump’s first black supporters, and was loved by his white supporters to prove that
Trump’s not a racist. She proceeded to spew vile things about the black community, the gay community, unattractive people; there’s not a “people” she hasn’t disparaged in the most hateful way. She then latched on to Jew hate going so far as to say she admired Hitler. She then said if she gets killed blame it on the “Zionists.” I think since Jew hate has become the “in_thing again she’s riding the wave; I think she make money off of spewing her hate. And THAT creature is who Stephen Smith had on his show. I didn’t listen to it; just saw his face with hers on Instagram and immediately blocked him because I don’t even want his posts coming across my feed. Even before I loathed the man, I didn’t like “Brick.” Comes off like a pimp to me. Always did.
Hi Rebecca1. Yes, I have watched a few of her clips on YouTube. I was pretty shocked by many of her views. My city has always had a large Jewish community and my first employer was a wonderful Jewish man who I learnt so much from, I worked for him for ten years, 1980 to 1990. I came out in 1984, and sexual rights were secured in my province in 1987. I wish you all the best Rebecca1, we all must stay strong with our believes.
Thank you once again GH fan. I appreciate you.
You may enjoy reading about one of my Provence’s favourite son, Israel Harold “Izzy” Asper.
Wow; impressive man and family. Thank you for letting me know about him. I must admit I hadn’t heard about him until you suggested I read up on him.
Please don’t quit your day job.
I love his character as Brick on GH.
And preferrably the sports job; this job he can.
It’s a “NO” from me on this one.
General Hospital
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Elizabeth Thinks of Dante While With Ric; Will She Leave Her Ex in the Dust?

Clearly, head nurse Elizabeth Webber (Rebecca Herbst) is trying to deny her feelings for Dante Falconeri (Dominic Zamprogna) on General Hospital, when she is trying to make up for missed opportunities and dates with her former husband, Ric Lansing (Rick Hearst).
On the Friday, November 6 episode, Elizabeth arrived at the Metro Court for her date with Ric. She made sure she thanked the legal eagle for taking care of her house on Halloween when she was called into work.
However, while telling Ric this, Elizabeth is struck by a flashback of her and Dante baking in her kitchen, where a very close encounter almost led Dante and Elizabeth to kiss. After shaking that image off in her head, she goes back to her date with Ric, who is being very sweet to her.

Courtesy/ABC
ELIZABETH HAVING SECOND THOUGHTS ABOUT RIC
Their date gets interrupted when Lulu (Alexa Havins) shows up at their table asking Elizabeth to convince Willow (Katelyn MacMullen) to drop the libel case against her.
Later, when Liz talked with Willow, and Willow shared she appreciated the head nurse looking out for her, she asks her friend if Ric is the kind of man she wants her life?
Willow is pointing out, as she had in her relationship with Drew (Cameron Mathison), does Ric really love Elizabeth … or is he using her to get what he wants? That comment puts more doubt in Elizabeth’s mind over reconnecting with Ric, and giving her more credence to follow her feelings for Dante.
So, where is this leading? Will Elizabeth cut things off with Ric? If so, will he snap? Is Ric using Elizabeth? And what about Dante? Are you enjoying the growing closeness between Elizabeth and Dante, or do you prefer Elizabeth with Ric? Let us know in the comment section, But first, check what went down on Ric and Elizabeth’s dinner date which lead to more questions than answers below.
General Hospital
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Tracy Leaves Port Charles to Help Dillon; Paving the Way for Jane Elliot’s Temporary Exit

General Hospital viewers became concerned when on the Thursday, November 5 episode, Tracy (Jane Elliot) was preparing to leave Port Charles to go help her son, Dillon Quartermaine, who got arrested while trying to film in Thailand.
Tracy informed Jason (Steve Burton), that she had to leave and was counting on him to look after things while she was away. That included: making sure Brook Lynn (Amanda Setton) and baby Phoebe were safe from the likes of Jude Jax (Wil Traval) as well as the Quartermaine businesses since Ned (Wally Kurth) still can’t overexert himself since his heart attack.
In Tracy’s final scenes, for now, she tells Gio (Giovanni Mazza) and Emma (Braedyn Bruner) to be there for Brook Lynn while she is going through her ordeal after divorcing Chase (Josh Swickard) and Jude trying to claim baby Phoebe.

Courtesy/ABC
HOW LONG WILL JANE ELLIOT BE GONE FROM GENERAL HOSPITAL?
However, GH fans! Have no fear. Tracy’s exit was written into the show to facilitate Jane Elliot’s annual vacation. Same time last year, Elliot exited the canvas around this time after the entire Ronnie Bard/Martin Grey debacle; where they conspired to make it look like Monica left the Quartermaine mansion to her sister, Ronnie (Erika Slezak) instead of Tracy. In that storyline, Tracy took off for a spa in France for some much-needed R&R.
Now, according to Soap Opera Digest, while viewers are just seeing the beginnings of Jane Elliot’s temporary leave, the soap opera confirmed that the long-running star is already back taping new episodes. GH roughly runs about six weeks ahead of air in its production schedule.

Photo: JPI
ALL ABOUT JANE
Jane Elliot started her GH journey back in 1978, and has come and gone a few times including an announced retirement back in 2017, only to eventually come out of retirement a few tines, and rejoin the show full-time in 2023.
Along the way, Elliot has won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress back in 1981, and in 2025 was honored for her 50 years of excellence in daytime television becoming a Gold Circle honoree from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
Michael Fairman TV spoke to Jane at that time, immediately after receiving her honor on-stage. You can check out that interview here.
Now below, watch scenes from Thursday’s GH where Tracy informs Jason she has to leave the country and go help her son.
Then let us know, with the mention of Dillon Quartermaine on today’s GH, will the soap opera FINALLY recast the role? Will you miss Jane while she is off-screen? Glad to know she is already back taping all-new episodes of the ABC daytime drama series? Let us know in the comment section.
General Hospital
GH’s Finola Hughes and Laura Wright Tease Anna/Valentin/Carly, “It’s Not Your Typical Triangle, We’ll Say That”

On General Hospital, Carly (Laura Wright) and Valentin (James Patrick Stuart) are now dealing with the fallout of their discovery, the dead body of Jack Brennan. While Carly became a suspect, now the two need to figure out just who was responsible for the former WSB Port Charles Bureau chief’s sudden ending.
Meanwhile, Anna Devane (Finola Hughes) is trying to put her shattered life back together, after almost killing Dr. Britt Westbourne (Kelly Thiebaud), hallucinating she was seeing a dead Peter August (Wes Ramsey) and trying to shake off years of trauma at the hands of Cesar Faison (Anders Hove).
While it has become apparent that Valentin and Carly love each other, the same holds true for Valentin and Anna, but is it differently, now that the former lovers are apart? However, it appears when Anna is in trouble, Valentin shows up to save her. That is not lost on Carly, who up until now has tried to be adult about the whole situation, but how long will that last?

Photo: ABC
Michael Fairman TV caught up with both Daytime Emmy-winning Lead Actresses on the red carpet at the 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards and asked them to weigh-in on what viewers can expect, and what’s it has been like working with leading man, James Patrick Stuart.
Laura Wright explained, “James is hilarious. I would say most of our dress rehearsals are laughing it out because we’ve got to show up for taping, but he’s very funny.” Finola Hughes echoed that with, “He’s a very funny person, always,” adding, “I couldn’t be in a scene with him and Amanda Setton (Brook Lynn, GH). It was him, me, and Amanda one time. We couldn’t get through the scene!”

Photo: ABC
The discussion turned to if GH viewers will see Anna and Carly fighting over the love of Valentin. Laura Wright shared, “Not in the way you would think. It’s not your typical triangle. We’ll say that.” Finola Hughes concurred, “It’s not your typical triangle!”
Watch our chat from the red carpet with Finola and Laura below, and make sure to check out all the moments from Michael Fairman TV at the 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards here.
So, do you think Valentin will be caught in an actual love triangle between Anna and Carly, or will he be fully in his relationship with Carly, only to find himself constantly coming to the rescue of Anna Devane, causing an ultimate riff in his relationship with Carly? Who would you like to see Valentin with … Anna or Carly? Let us know via the comment section below.
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