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.

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Check it out:

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:

Additional reactions below:

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.’

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‘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.

What’s your observation?

 

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