WATCH: Stephen A. Smith Awkwardly Backpedals After Lauding the Performance of ‘Charlie Kirk’ in the NFL Playoffs

Screenshot

Stephen A. Smith awkwardly misidentified a Houston Texans receiver as “Charlie Kirk” while praising his performance in the team’s recent playoff game.

The name he meant to say was Christian Kirk. In Monday’s game between the Texans and the Pittsburgh Steelers, Christian caught eight passes for 144 yards and a touchdown. The Texans won 30-6 to advance to the divisional round of the playoffs, where they’ll face the New England Patriots in Foxborough, MA on Sunday.

In praising his efforts, however, Smith mistakenly referred to him as the conservative commentator who was assassinated in Utah just a few months earlier.

“That’s what we saw,” Smith said on First Take. “We saw Charlie Kirk catch eight receptions for 144 yards. We saw–”

At that moment, Shae Cornette — who replaced Molly Qerim as First Take’s new full-time host — corrected Smith by saying Christian’s name.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Smith muttered. “Christian. I’m sorry. I apologize. Oh my god. Christian Kirk. We saw–”

Charlie Kirk was shot and killed while speaking at a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University, sparking a nationwide debate about political violence. Smith’s most notable comments on the incident came when he criticized Jimmy Kimmel for joking about the identity of the shooter. Kimmel was briefly suspended for it.