Stephen A. Smith addressed a possible presidential run with Bill Maher on Real Time With Bill Maher.

On Friday, Aug. 8, ESPN‘s First Take host appeared on the late-night show, during which he doubled down on “leav[ing] the door open” to a bold political bid in 2028.

The NBA analyst confessed that he “can’t imagine” running for president. However, he acknowledged it is still a “possible” option for him.

“Listen, life is good, man. I leave the door open,” he told Maher. “I can’t imagine myself doing it, but I haven’t ruled it out because I’m disgusted with what I’m seeing on the left.”

Smith continued, “I look at the national voice for the Democratic Party. It is non-existent. As far I’m concerned, a damn construction worker could win the Democratic nomination right now, as bad as it is for the Democratic party. They better get their act together. And excuse my language, but they are in for an a**-kicking if they don’t get their act together. The party is in disarray. New leadership.”

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

In April, Smith echoed these sentiments in a post shared on X.

“Time to stop messing around. Life is great. Especially at ESPN/Disney,” he wrote. “Hate the thought of being a politician. But sick of this mess. So I’m officially leaving all doors open.”

It seems time will tell what Smith ultimately decided. In the meantime, he signed a five-year deal with ESPN for $100 million in March — so he definitely has options.

Real Time With Bill Maher, Fridays, 10/9c, HBO