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Stephen A. Smith mistakenly referred to Houston Texans’ star wide receiver Christian Kirk as Charlie Kirk during a segment on ESPN’s First Take.
Smith was discussing the Texans’ dominant victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the NFL playoffs.
“We saw Charlie Kirk catch 8 receptions for 144 yards,” Smith said.
He immediately backpedaled after he misspoke.
“I’m sorry. Christian. I apologize. I apologize. Oh my God. Christian Kirk,” he said.
Check it out:
“We saw Charlie Kirk catch 8 receptions for 144 yards…I apologize. Oh my God. Christian Kirk” – Stephen A. Smith pic.twitter.com/PPQXMjXFEr
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 13, 2026
TMZ noted:
Clearly, Smith meant no harm by what he said — the guy spends hours and hours talking each week, and mistakes happen.
Of course, Charlie, who was tragically assassinated in September, was one of the most talked-about people in the country last year, so it’s no surprise his name would be on Stephen A.’s mind.
As for the Kirk he intended to talk about, Christian had a h*** of a great game, catching 8 balls for 144 yards, including multiple jaw-dropping big plays in the Texans’ 30-6 rout of the Steelers.
One social media user wasted no time in creating a Charlie Kirk highlight tape after the blunder.
Check it out:
Fuck it, Charlie Kirk highlight reel https://t.co/9Qb7SAUgxA pic.twitter.com/iZHnpb2kpc
— Sourdeath Sam (@SourdeathSam) January 13, 2026
Additional reactions below:
All Kirks are Charlie Kirk now 💀
— Doran (@doranmaul) January 13, 2026
To be fair, I call Christian Kirk, Charlie, all the time 💀💀
— Patrick Webb (@Patrickwebb) January 13, 2026
— aertime (@AERTIME) January 13, 2026
Charlie Kirk catching NFL passes is a WILD crossover 😭
— ThrillReloads (@ThrillReloads) January 13, 2026
— SocialSight (@SocialSight) January 13, 2026
Daily Mail shared other reactions:
Despite Smith’s immediate effort to correct himself, the humiliating mix-up didn’t go unnoticed by viewers who shared their stunned reactions on social media.
‘Oh yea this an all timer,’ one user posted, responding to a clip of the incident.
‘Bro I jus f***ing busted out laughing in public,’ said another, while a third added: ‘Hang it in the video section of the Louvre.’
‘He saw his career flash before his eyes,’ one viewer claimed, while another said that ‘this gotta be a top 5 Stephen A clips of all time.’
‘Charlie Kirk catching 8 receptions for 144 yards is a sentence I never thought I’d hear in 2026,’ wrote another with a subtle reference to Charlie Kirk’s death last September.
‘This what happen when you have too many interest. Intermingled,’ claimed one social media user, seemingly blaming Smith’s recent ramped-up interest in politics and his hints at running for office.