Chris “Mad Dog” Russo knows Michelle Beadle and Cody Decker didn’t deserve to be shown the door, but all bets are off when Stephen A. Smith is involved.
Smith joined Howard Stern Wednesday morning to announce a multi-year deal with SiriusXM, which will include a show on Mad Dog Sports Radio every weekday from 1 – 3pm ET beginning Tuesday Sept. 2. That was news to Beadle and Decker, who have occupied that timeslot since Aug. 2023.
Naturally, Beadle and Decker were upset by the news, and they made that clear while in the awkward position of hosting the show just a few hours after Smith’s announcement. Wednesday afternoon, Russo went on the station that bears his name to speak candidly about what was an uncomfortable situation, claiming Smith’s deal was negotiated by higher ups at the company, and not by anyone involved with the channel.
“That’s not to say I didn’t know about it for the last six weeks, cause I did,” Russo added. “I didn’t know where they were in the negotiations, but I certainly knew there was a conversation. I heard a few weeks ago that it wasn’t gonna happen because there was no video component. I can tell you all sorts of things because I see Stephen A.”
At a minimum, Russo talks to Smith every Wednesday when they host First Take together. And according to the former WFAN legend, he learned Smith signed his contract to take over the 1 – 3pm timeslot on Mad Dog Radio late last week.
“It’s a very tricky day. Michelle and Cody did nothing wrong based on what I heard today with their enthusiastic replies from their audience. They got a lot more fans than probably anybody thought of, including Sirius. But changes happen and this is the industry we live in,” Russo said. “From a company perspective and from a Mad Dog Radio perspective, what you cannot say is [Smith] won’t give us buzz. If you are one who says that, whether you’re a caller, whether you’re a writer, that is ridiculous.
“As far as how this was handled, because I know that has everybody bothered, there is no easy way to do this,” Russo continued. “I have come to the conclusion… that the best way to do it is when you decide to make a change, just make the change. Don’t give the folks who you are changing from the opportunity to say goodbye, it never works…in most cases, this becomes a nasty and an ugly situation. And by all reports, it sounded like a little bit of that today.”
Chris Russo claimed he had no say in the timing, reiterating he wasn’t involved in negotiations or asked for his opinion on the addition of Stephen A. Smith. But if asked, he would have advised the company to “be upfront” with Michelle Beadle and Cody Decker.
“I do understand that feelings are hurt here,” Russo added. “In the future, you’re better off, if you’re the company, of just washing your hands of the previous show, paying them what they deserve, finishing out their contracts and letting them go. That’s it.”
Instead, SiriusXM opted to give Michelle Beadle and Cody Decker microphones and a national platform just hours after learning they were being replaced by Smith, making an uncomfortable situation even more uncomfortable.