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Renowned sports analyst Stephen A. Smith has shared the reason behind his decision not to celebrate his birthday for over 30 years. The host of ESPN's First Take turns 56 on October 14 and recently revealed that he lost his brother in his birthday week more than three decades ago.
On his own YouTube channel, a fan asked the veteran sports journalist how he would be celebrating his birthday, but to the shock of many, Smith bared a reason why he wouldn't.
"My brother died [in] 1992 on the week of my birthday and I have never ever celebrated it since because I think about him a lot, especially during that time. Brings back a lot of memories," said Stephen A. Smith. "I'm not as nearly as bad as I was when I first lost them but it's still hard so sometimes I'm around and-- hang out with family, friends and loved ones."
However, Smith somewhat celebrates his birthday with his daughters and does it for them instead of for himself.
The revelation of Smith sheds light on the enduring impact of loss and the way individuals, and even well-known personalities like himself, undergo the process of grief.
Stephen A. Smith plans to grow his media enterprise like Colin Cowherd
In another question answered in his podcast, Stephen A. Smith said he plans to expand his media enterprise just like Colin Cowherd did. However, the American doesn't want to limit himself to talking about sports but would like to diversify into other topics as well.
"I most certainly do but here's the thing, I'm not interested in just sports. Sports will always be a part of me. I'm not interested in being limited to just that," said Smith.
In just a year, Smith has grown his YouTube channel to 331 thousand subscribers and has managed to accumulate as many as 45 million views.
Smith manages and oversees ESPN First Take which is co-hosted by Molly Qerim. The television show also features analysts from different sports such as Shannon Sharpe, JJ Redick, Brian Windhorst, Kendric Perkins, Marcus Spears, and Chris "Mad Dog" Russo.
WATCH: The full episode on The Stephen A. Smith Show on October 11, 2023
