During an ESPN First Take broadcast discussing the Houston Texans' playoff win, Stephen A. Smith mistakenly referred to Texans wide receiver Christian Kirk as Charlie Kirk. Smith quickly apologized after being corrected, highlighting the career-high playoff performance of Christian Kirk.
The morning after the Monday Night Football playoff game where the Houston Texans defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 30-6, Stephen A Smith made a gaffe on national television when he accidentally referred to Texans’ wide receiver Christian Kirk as Charlie Kirk on ESPN ’s First Take broadcast.
As the television crew was discussing the many headlines following the Houston Texans game, Smith meant to highlight the Texans wide receiver's career-high playoff performance."We saw Charlie Kirk catch eight receptions for 144 yards," said the ESPN analyst.Smith was quickly corrected by ESPN’s Jeff Saturday before apologizing profusely, immediately following the comment.Charlie Kirk is the former CEO of Turning Point USA and was assassinated in September 2025 while speaking at an outdoor campus debate planned by the organization. Many NFL teams, such as the Tennessee Titans, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, New Orleans Saints and the Dallas Cowboys, held moments of silence in honor of Charlie Kirk. Some included a video tribute using Charlie Kirk's photo on their video boards and asked the home crowd to stand and pay respects in the wake of his death.Christian Kirk is a two-time Pro Bowler, in his first year in Houston.He looks to clear concussion protocol before the team’s divisional round match-up against the New England Patriots on Sunday, as the No. 5-seeded Texans take on the No. 2-seeded Patriots at 2:30 p.m. CST.
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