Stephen A. Smith is weighing in on John Oliver’s soap opera ambitions—and offering to help.
The ESPN host, who has quietly spent nearly a decade recurring on General Hospital as the character Brick, responded after Oliver used Last Week Tonight to pitch himself for a role on a daytime soap. Oliver had pointed to Smith’s unlikely second career as his inspiration, marveling that the sports pundit has been a fixture on the long-running ABC drama since 2016.
Smith addressed Oliver directly in an Instagram Reel posted late Tuesday.
“You sure you ready for that? This is serious,” Smith said, stressing that soap acting comes with its own unique demands, particularly when it comes to playing against type.
“You gotta be willing to be that bad guy… you gotta love the hate,” Smith said, warning that Oliver’s natural affability might be a hurdle. “You’re a very, very likable guy.”
Oliver’s pitch, which closed out Oliver’s March 8 episode of Last Week Tonight, included a full-blown audition tape: a reenactment of one of Smith’s own General Hospital scenes—a comically melodramatic hospital confrontation that ended in a sudden shooting.
The segment was directly inspired by Smith’s work on the show, where his character has spent years operating as a trusted fixer for mob boss Sonny Corinthos.
Smith gave Oliver’s performance high marks.
“You didn’t do bad though,” he said.
He then closed with an offer that could bring Oliver one step closer to daytime TV.
“I’m gonna make a call to General Hospital about you, buddy.”
Watch Smith’s full message to Oliver below:
He IS one in real life!