ESPN’s His & Hers franchise is a sleeper favorite among reasonable sports fans. Formerly known as Numbers Never Lie, moderators Jemele Hill and Michael Smith tone down the talking head shout-a-thon that is the First Take block. They bring a friendly co-ed vibe to the format, and manage to have fun with their guests while asking relevant questions.
But maybe the Smith-Hill comfort level leads to a relaxed feeling of being among friends. That’s why it’s not at all shocking that Smith let slip with a curse on-air during the Monday show. After Hill noted how impressed she was watching Penn State Defensive Tackle bowl over a tree in his offseason workout, Smith joked:
See that right there is exactly why guys do stupid sh*t! Oop– It was bound to happen. It was bound to happen. It was bound to happen. It was bound to happen. I’ll see y’all next week.
Cue the mic drop.
Hill and the entire production crew burst into laughter, which might suggest the general mood among staffers there. Then, this:
Hey Nicki, lemme know how fast that ends up on YouTube. And Instagram.
Well, Mr. Smith, at press time, it took about an hour for YouTube. Instagram results are pending. Although Smith quipped with Hill to “cover me if I need something on those lights,” should he get fired, his approach to the mistake was collected and jovial. Maybe that will gain him brownie points with the ESPN brass come performance review time.
Besides, Bill Simmons fell on that sword for all future anchor gaffes to come.
(Via BroBible)
